The Saga of Coyote and the Tempest
by Pyeknu
Summary: People have always wondered why is it someone like Moroboshi Ataru could survive as much as he could in the year he has lived together with Lum. This story reveals why . . . and it introduces the ONE race the Oni are mortally afraid of. What will Lum do once she learns her beloved Darling IS one of "They Who Must Never Be Named?" Flee . . . or become one of Them?
1. The Trickster of the Show

_Try to forget the past._  
_Some things remain . . ._  
_And others never last._  
_Just by this minute,_  
_Why don't we finish_  
_What we started long ago?_  
_You can't say "No" . . ._

_I got a secret._  
_I'll only tell if you want._  
_Nobody's got to know,_  
_Oh no!_  
_Nobody's got to know!_  
_I got a secret._  
_Can you keep it?_  
_Nobody's got to know,_  
_Oh no!_  
_Nobody's got to know!_  
Yanni, _Secret_ (2011), lyrics by Chloe Lowery

* * *

Somewhere in Tōkyō . . .

"Arigatō, minna-san. This contribution to the 'Keep Tariko Fed' Fund is appreciated."

Of course, the four Yakuza kōbun couldn't reply to the strange woman's words; she had knocked them out with powerful energy blasts when they had got too fresh with her. Not that she really had reason to dislike the idea of having sex with _men_ these days. In the six months – as she perceived time – since that ugly night at her family home when her whole life was destroyed, too much had been changed.

Once, she would have LOATHED violence with every fibre of her being.

Once, she would have HATED causing people to die or be permanently maimed.

Once, she would have done almost ANYTHING to keep the one she loved at her side.

Once . . .

But no more.

Too much had been ripped away from her.

Her innocence.

Her life.

Her very sense of self-identity.

Her _humanity_ itself.

And now . . .

Taking a deep breath, the woman calling herself "Moroboshi Tariko" – and who, in another universe, had been born a boy named "Moroboshi Ataru" – moved to walk out of the alley, heading to the nearest subway stop on the final leg of her journey.

Destination: Tomobiki.

* * *

_**The Saga of Coyote and the Tempest  
**_by Fred Herriot

Based on _Urusei Yatsura_, created by Takahashi Rumiko

Including characters and situations from _Love Hina_ and _Mahō Sensei Negima_, created by Akamatsu Ken; _Azumanga Daiō_, created by Azuma Kiyohiko; _Men In Black_, created by Lowell Cunningham; _Sweet Valley High_, created by Francine Pascal; the _Harry Potter_ series, created by Joanne K. Rowling; _Ranma 1/2_, created by Takahashi Rumiko; the _Suzumiya Haruhi_ series, created by Tanigawa Nagaru; and _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_, created by Joss Whedon.

Also including characters and situations from the fanfic series _Urusei Yatsura - The Senior Year_, created by Mike Smith and Fred Herriot

* * *

_**WRITER'S INTRODUCTION:**__ This is a "What if?" story concerning what might have happened if Ataru had actually left the care of his parents at a very young age and was somehow forced back into Tomobiki just in time to face Lum in the Tag Race. In lieu of using either the Sagussans or Avalonians (whom I introduced in _The Senior Year_), I used a race of metahumans I call the Yizibajohei, which are based on the Levramites created by Jim Valentino for his _normalman_ series between 1983-86. I've always been intrigued by the concept Valentino postulated concerning a race of honest-to-goodness superheroes – without "normal" people living amongst them – so I came up with the Yizibajohei._

_Of course, characters from other book series, television shows, movies and OVAs will also appear in this series. Included amongst them are concepts from _The Senior Year_._

_Writer's notes will be contained at the end of each part of the story._

* * *

Tomobiki (in the city of Nishitōkyō, west of Nerima), an hour later . . .

"I just really had this black, evil feeling . . . "

The star "couple" of Tomobiki High School's Class 2-4 were heading home, one walking, the other floating off to his side. To onlookers, this was normal.

"And then I was taken this really dark place . . . "

Another thing that was normal to the onlookers was the sight of Redet Lum pouring her heart out to Moroboshi Ataru as she held the back of his school gakuran jacket, with him acting totally indifferent to her, his eyes darting to and fro.

"It was so scary! But I was glad it was just a dream . . . "

And there he went . . .

"Huh? Darli- . . .?"

"Can I get your address and telephone number?"

As people smirked on seeing Ataru try to hit on a passing pretty girl – with Lum shuddering in outrage nearby, she holding his gakuran jacket as it was now wrapped up in a discarded piece of tree trunk – the onlookers could only grin.

All was normal in Tomobiki.

As it should always be.

But the people watching this even, of course, were ignorant of things.

Their sense of complacency was more vulnerable than they could ever imagine.

And now . . . it would be forever shattered.

"_**I'M SICK OF YOUR BEHAVIOUR!**_"

"_**THEN GO HOME AND DIE, YOU SELFISH SAME BITCH!**_"

Before Lum could unleash her "divine punishment" on her would-be husband – by Oni tradition, they were already married; by local Terran law, they had yet to visit the local Family Registrar to declare such a marriage as Ataru was still legally underage – a bolt of white-hot energy raced at her from a side street to slam into her, burning most of her own seifuku away as she was flung by the impact force into a nearby stone fence. As Ataru's head snapped around to allow him to gape in shock at his would-be wife being fried herself with a blast of what appeared to be heavy ki energy, the latest target of his girl-hunts ran away as fast as she could go, yelling that someone was trying to kill Lum. He ignored her; it was child's play to ensure such news didn't get to the wrong ears and the girl's attack had to be halted as quickly as possible.

He could SENSE the powerful tint of meson in the attacker's ki blast.

She could only have come from ONE world.

And he wasn't ready to reveal THAT secret right now.

"_**HEY! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO LUM?**_" he barked out.

The attacker – who was dressed in loose jeans and a halter-top blouse, running shoes on her feet – paused before she glared at the man who had shouted out to her. On seeing him, she then smirked on realising that she had caught the Oni warlord's daughter and her would-be husband just in time. "You're here!" she snapped as she pointed at him. "Good! We do this quick, you'll probably save a few billion lives!"

Ataru stopped . . . and then he blinked as his eyes got a clear look on her face. She was quite pretty as girls from Japan his age went, with dark brown eyes on a rather expressive face that wasn't either cold or perfect in shape. But it was the hair – short and shaggy, styled in the very way HE wore his hair! – that caught his attention.

"You're me," he then stated.

She blinked, and then relaxed herself as she lowered her arms. The hands were still glowing with power, which made the few onlookers who had frozen in shock on seeing LUM get zapped with an energy attack turn VERY pale before they finally regained what little common sense they had and fled for their lives. He ignored them as he glanced briefly at the burnt and dazed Lum; she was now badly hurt and now down to just her "one good outfit" – an energy-resistant tiger-fur strapless bikini with calf-high boots made of the same material – thanks to the energy that had slammed her into a wall. Noting that she was still alive, he sighed as he looked at the attacker. On sensing that, she sighed. "Yeah, I am you! From six months in the future."

He didn't blink on that. "Temporal displacement casualty," he said as he reached down to pick up his gakuran top and school bag. "Why did you come back in time?"

"To prevent the mass slaughter of innocent people on a few worlds," she answered.

He hummed. "Oh! A sort of local cluster version of the Mother of All Fight Scenes."

A nod. "Yeah! I . . . "

Dramatic pause.

"How the hell did you know THAT?" she eeped as she stared wide-eyed at him.

"I can tell you're actually a synthezoid created in the Doll House. Battle Doll," he stated. "No doubt given some sort of ki control power by the Infinity wherever you came from. That proves you've also crossed dimensional barriers as the Infinity HERE would never do that to me. As for how I know of Yiziba . . . " He smirked as he winked. "Why, for the vast majority of the last ten years, I've _**lived**_ there."

She blinked a few more times as her mind took that in, and then she sighed. "Damn! So that's what Tami meant when he said I'd be sent to a 'different stage!'"

"Tami Ugadese was the Infinity in your dimension?"

A nod. "Hai."

"MOROBOSHI!"

Growling, the newcomer levelled a hand at an oncoming figure in white-and-red. "_**GET LOST, YOU USELESS EXCUSE OF A PRIEST! GO MOOCH OFF SOMEONE ELSE!**_"

A howling scream of pain marked Sakurambō Sakura's flight into the sky thanks to the impact of energy on her. "Nice shot," Ataru then critiqued. "Need to work on the follow-through, though." He then sighed as he waved the newcomer down the street. "C'mon. I assume you know where the house is. Let's get this somewhere private."

"You call your bedroom 'private?'" she snarled.

A smirk. "Lum's propensity for putting listening devices in my clothes, you mean," he stated. "Don't worry about it. My iPhone was modified by the Academician; I can shut down every piece of non-Terran electronics within ten kilometres of me if I wanted to. I've also got the house specially warded to keep all the riff-raff out when I need to."

"Oh? What about Baka Aho Kā-san and Baka Aho Tō-san?"

"They're grow old and die alone, of course," he said, winking.

She blinked, and then she smirked. "Who ARE you?"

A wink. "_**Coyote!**_" he hissed before waving her down the street.

She gaped, and then laughed as they headed off . . .

* * *

Arriving at the Moroboshi home some minutes later, the two people – Ataru had learned that his dimensional counterpart called herself "Tariko" now, using the kanji for "child from outside the village" in her name – paused at the front gate as he stabbed a thumb into a hidden switch in the wall, thus causing an energy field to form around the whole property. "Never had real cause to use this before," he admitted as he and Tariko walked inside, slipping off their shoes in the genkan before they headed upstairs, ignoring the hard-working Moroboshi Kinshō in the kitchen as her husband and Ataru's father Muchi had yet to return from work. "The idiot norms and sames in this town have never really threatened me before and I've always hoped Lum would come clean on a few things before I revealed what I really was to her. But given that you clearly came from a universe where Lum's people are either severely depleted in numbers if not extinct totally, I think it's high time to finally blow this stage and go home."

"No, they're not extinct," Tariko replied, the sound of her voice making Kinshō gasp in confusion as she walked out of the kitchen to see some strange girl following Ataru into his bedroom. "But they are, for the most part, enslaved by the Ipraedies and the Seifukusu. Thanks to the Yizibajohei unleashing Mother of All Fight Scenes II on Uru and destroyed their fleet and their time-travel tech to prevent them from . . . "

The door to Ataru's bedroom was slid closed. Stunned to see that a girl OTHER than Lum had WILLINGLY followed her idiot son into his bedroom, Kinshō – a meat cleaver in hand – stormed upstairs, reaching for the handle to yank the door open and . . .

_ ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZAP. . .!_

"**_YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH . . .!_**"

A smoking ruin of a middle-aged woman crashed onto the floor.

* * *

Inside, Tariko – who had been allowed to take up the seat at the work desk while Ataru assumed a cross-legged position A METRE ABOVE THE FLOOR – turned to gaze at the door. "I take it you also proofed the room against the morons we were born from, right?"

"Naturally," he replied, smirking at the thought of his selfish mother being zapped by thousands of volts of electricity for a change. Given that for nine of the past ten years, he had lived on a planet three hundred light-years away from Earth virtually on his own – and that for the first seven months of the last thirteen, he had been both psionically and magically brainwashed to keep his memories and powers suppressed – Ataru utterly felt NO love for his parents. Yes, they had allowed him to exist and raised him for the first six years of his life, but he had learned late in that period that his parents didn't care for him as other parents did for their children. It was because of the feelings of indifference – personified by Kinshō's often-spoken lament, "I wish I never had him!" – that persuaded a young Ataru to accept the offer given to him by a traveller to another world to leave Tomobiki once and for all time.

It had only been very bad luck that brought Ataru back to Tomobiki when agents of the Men In Black had been looking for him to prepare him to participate in the Tag Race.

Of course, Ataru's parents still believed they had him under their control.

More fool them.

"When I was about to be forced to marry Lum after our encounter with Elle, Infinity came to destroy the chapel and trap everyone – including Lum – inside when I got clear of the main doors," he explained as he reached towards the small refrigerator he had placed in one corner of the room. The door flipped open and two cans of ice coffee floated out. One drifted into his hand while the other went into Tariko's. "I was taken back to Yiziba and had the brainwashing taken out of me by Infinity and Soul Searcher," he said as he popped open the can and drank. "Naturally, I was upset at a few people. The idiots who also live in this house and Miyake being three of them. Not to mention the idiots from the Men In Black who were so scared of a Mother of All Fight Scenes being unleashed on either Earth or Uru that they couldn't conceive of simply ASKING me to take it easy with Lum while still beating her in the Tag Race. But since I spent nine years helping people across the planet get Gifts so that there would be enough metas on Earth available to deal with any alien invasion, I decided turnabout is fair play and I let them all believe that they still had control over me."

"But you won't live here for much longer, I take it?" she asked.

"Of course not," he said. "I owe the idiots that I was born from nothing at all. Thanks to Infinity, I had two months to ensure that any attempts by either of them to get hold of whatever inheritance Obā-chan left me – not that I would desire such a thing – or any sort of money Komeru-ojichan might have set aside for me were stopped. Atop that, I have the law on my side; I can't legally get married until I'm eighteen."

"Hence their pushing for Lum and you to marry on Uru under their laws," Tariko noted as she slowly nodded in understanding. "I didn't honestly know about anything left behind by Obā-chan or Oji-chan in my universe. By the time I just wanted out of the whole damned scene, Tomobiki had been turned into a charnel house thanks to al-Qā'idah going after Megane and his idiots for whole space-taxi thing. They also nailed Mendō and most of the others in our class with a dirty nuke bomb at school that wiped out a lot of the city's population, including my parents." A sigh. "By then, whatever good feelings the idiots here in town might have had for me for making an agreement with the Yizibajohei to yank the aliens off the planet had worn off. They were too much in love with the Oni and seeing her whole race get smashed down by people _**I**_ had called onto their heads because of the whole Yaminokuni business had hurt them badly. And since Megane and his dolts had protested their innocence from the start, as far as the survivors were concerned, I had made a deal with bin Lādin's fighters to kill off all of Lum's friends on Earth." A sigh. "Lucky for me that when Lum tried to stop me the night Destructo came to offer me a Gift as a way to drive the aliens off the planet and save Earth – after that bitch Benten nearly shot me dead to prevent him from helping me – Infinity transformed me into this." She wigged her fingers in emphasis.

He winced. "_**Destructo**_ . . .?" he trilled. "So _**that**_ one emerged from the Crystal in your universe, eh? How did that happen? In my universe, the population on Yiziba never dropped THAT low to force the Crystal to bestow THAT Gift of someone."

A sigh. "The Nameless were all slaughtered by Doctor Death," she explained. "They had found the crystal holding the Gift of the Weaponeer within it and realised that she had been right all along about where the Show was leading the whole race to in the long term. Of course, the Doctor didn't take too kindly to THAT being let loose . . . "

"Oh, I remember that. You said Tami Ugadese was Infinity in your universe."

"Yeah."

"Here, Tami sacrificed his life to put Doctor Death down and save the Nameless since they constituted nearly three-quarters of the population of the planet at the time," he explained. "My past-self was involved in that and died because of it. But he was lovers with one of the Nameless at the time – her name was Ayone Katabarbe – and his Gift was preserved in a crystal like the Weaponeer's was. She searched high and low for someone to take the Gift . . . and eventually found me here on Earth."

A snort. "Lucky you."

* * *

Senshōbu-jinja (Sakurambō Sakura's shrine), that moment . . .

"Lum-chan! Lum-chan! Sakura-nēchan, what happened to Lum-chan?"

A teary-eyed Redet Ten – who had heard the loud explosions of energy all the way from Lum's scoutship a kilometre above the Moroboshi home – flew into the private apartment Sakura lived in, and then stopped on seeing the horrible burns on his beloved cousin's body, all of which were being tended to by the Shintō shrine maiden and part-time school nurse. Also present was Sakura's uncle, Sakurambō Hayao, who was often better known as "Cherry." "Lum-chan . . .!" the Oni child then gasped before he floated over to gazed at her partially-burned face. "What happened to her, Sakura-nēchan?"

"A dark kami attacked her, young Ten," Cherry gravely answered. "And one who was quite intent on hurting her in the worst way possible. All in support of Ataru, it seems."

"We don't know that yet, Oji-san!" Sakura snapped. "All we do know is that this girl attacked Lum with a heavy ki blast when she tried to punish Moroboshi for another of his girl-hunts!" A sigh. "She got me, too, but since I can defend myself against such an attack, I was able to get back to where Lum had fallen and bring her here."

"Who would attack Lum-chan?" Ten then fretted. "Elle?"

A shake of the head. "No, it wasn't Queen Elle. This girl looked very much like Moroboshi himself. A twin sister, I would say. Which is impossible since he only had a twin brother who died shortly after their third birthday." As Ten gasped in shock on hearing that, Sakura finished with the salve on Lum's face. "But there was a very alien power within her. And she was not afraid to use it on Lum. I NEVER felt such feelings of hate and rage – even BETRAYAL! – than I felt from that girl! And it was all focused on Lum!"

"But why . . .?" Ten whispered.

Cherry sighed. "Perhaps it is the sense of overwhelming doom I've picked up over the last day or so. Far more overwhelming than I've ever sense since Moroboshi Ataru returned from wherever he lived at to be with his parents a month before young Lum came to this world." As Sakura and Ten both gaped in shock at him, the elderly Buddhist cleric then hummed. "Perhaps it had something to do with the Men In Black . . . "

"Oji-san, what do you mean?" Sakura then demanded. "Moroboshi actually was NOT living with his parents here in town until a month before the Tag Race?"

"Yes, my niece," he answered. "It was ten years ago when this happened. One day in February – it was Valentine's Day, I recall – young Ataru disappeared from his family home without a trace. His parents – whom, as you know, do not really care for him – never put in a missing child report; it was Shinobu's parents who put in the report. But he could not be found. Two months later, he appeared at his parents' home, alive and well. On being asked what had happened, he had said he had gone to a very dry and hot place full of pretty women. About two months after that, he disappeared again . . . " His dark eyes then narrowed. "And he was never seen again for _**nine years**_."

The others blinked. "Where did he go?" Ten asked.

A sigh. "That, young Ten, I cannot answer you," Cherry admitted with such honesty, it made Sakura gape at him; the elderly monk often always liked to tease people into holding their breath in dire anticipation before letting out some nonsense answer to questions like that. "But from what I sensed when he came back, Ataru was made to forget wherever he was living at by the hand of the Men In Black. Until six months ago at the cathedral outside your planet's capital city. You all remember that, don't you?"

"When the roof collapsed on all our heads and we wound up spending a month in hospital recovering from that," Sakura answered as Ten shuddered. "You don't think . . . "

"That whoever had taken Ataru away from Tomobiki and a loveless home ten years ago caught up to him . . . and THIS TIME, made very sure he could not be made to forget them again," Cherry finished for his niece. "But if that is so . . . "

"Why did he come back to live with his parents if he hates them?" Ten asked.

The others hummed . . . and then perked as a pained groan escaped the patient on the diagnostic bed nearby. "Lum-chan!" Ten screamed out as he floated over to her side as her eyes fluttered open. "Lum-chan! Are you okay? What happened to you?"

A groan. "Ten-chan, don't shout so . . . AAAGH!"

"Don't move, Lum!" Sakura stated as she moved to force the shuddering Oni teenager back onto the bed. "You've got second- and third-degree burns over a good third of your body. Whoever that girl was that attacked you, she meant to hurt you badly. If you move, you could expose your rib bones or your hip bones to air and they'll get infected by bacteria. You don't want to face any sort of amputation of your skeleton, do you?"

Lum blinked, and then she moaned as the part-time nurse helped her relax. "No, not really . . . " she groaned. "Who was that girl? Was Darling hurt . . .?"

Sakura tried not to smirk on hearing that question. It often amazed her that two such opposite personalities as Redet Lum and Moroboshi Ataru could actually live together like they did. One person always pressing for a marriage – almost to the point where some people would call it "spousal abuse" – with all the advantages she had . . . while the other denied it to his last breath, doing all sorts of outrageous things – though he never did anything that was blatantly illegal or permanently harmful – to keep his would-be "wife" at bay. And yet both would be there for the other in the blink of an eye. Even if saying they loved each other was pushing it, one couldn't deny they were truly the best of friends. "No, Moroboshi's alright. The girl who attacked you clearly wanted to protect him from you. I take it he was hitting on a girl?" As Lum nodded, the older woman sighed. "The person that attacked you clearly saw you as a monster threatening someone she cared for. Given how similar she looked to Moroboshi, I wonder if she's a relative of his. She clearly doesn't like you . . . but doesn't hate you to the point where she would try to kill you." As Lum's eyes went wide, Sakura shrugged. "We don't know, Lum. But we will find out. Right now, you need to rest and heal up for a bit."

Lum blinked, and then she nodded. "Alright . . . " she breathed out.

"Did she say anything when she attacked you, Lum-chan?" Ten demanded.

The Oni warlord's daughter blinked, and then her eyes went wide. "Wait . . . " she breathed out. "She called me a 'same' . . .!" As Ten gasped in horror, his skin turning a very sickly grey, on hearing THAT word, Lum gazed at him. "Ten-chan . . . isn't that what people from the _**Scary Place**_ call people like us?"

Ten nodded as he tried desperately not to soil himself at the thought of THEM entering their lives. "'Same?' 'Scary Place?' What are you talking about?" Sakura nodded.

Lum breathed out. "Ten-chan, you tell . . . her . . . alright . . . "

Her eyes closed. Sakura and Cherry blinked, and then gazed on Ten . . .

* * *

The Moroboshi home . . .

"Yuki told me right away that something was going on in Tomobiki," Suzumiya Haruhi stated as she gazed on Ataru from her computer in the room used by the SOS Brigade at North High School in Nishinomiya, just east of Kōbe. Ataru was gazing at her image through his iPhone screen. "So we got us a temporal and dimensional displacement casualty who was you in that universe before Destructo came along and your would-be 'wife' freaked out when the other you tried to make a deal to drive the Oni off the planet. It exploded into a Mother of All Fight Scenes." A sigh. "Well, at least we've now confirmed one way that can trigger the emerging of Destructo from the Crystal."

"Yeah, that's true, Haruhi," Ataru said as he glanced at a now-sleeping Tariko in his futon, a relieved smile on her face. "I think we'll have to do the bomb removal right now. No doubt, the instant Ōgi's morons get a hint that 'They Who Must Never Be Named' are now on Earth, they'll panic and hit the self-destruct button."

Haruhi sighed. "Fine. I'll do it right away. Call you back."

And the screen went dark. Gazing at it now before he tapped the home screen button to bring back up all his options – it often made him laugh whenever he sensed Lum or his own mother trying to break into the cellular smartphone to learn all of Ataru's secrets but couldn't do it; he had a "none of your damned business" probability field built into his phone that would stop anyone, even the very powerful psionics in town like Cherry and Sakura, and make them turn away from learning things they shouldn't – he then tapped the icon for the address book.

Instantly, icons of different descriptions came onto his screen. He tapped the white lemniscate insignia that was his first contact, then brought up text messaging . . .

* * *

Tōkyō, Nakano Ward (eight kilometres southeast of Tomobiki), minutes later . . .

"Hey, Ōsaka!"

The woman born Kasuga Ayumu blinked before she looked over. "What?"

"Cell phone's ringing," Inoue Chihiro, one of the Wakayama-born student's classmates in Azuma High School Class 2-3, said as she looked at the other girl.

Ayumu – known as "Ōsaka" to everyone in her class to the point where NO ONE seemed to remember her real name – blinked before she reached into her skirt pocket to pull out the device in question, a simple Panasonic flip phone. Opening it, she noted that a text message was flashing on the screen. "Arigatō," she said to Chihiro before tapping the function to bring up the message, and then she read. A second later, a serious look crossed her face as her mind interpreted the coded message, and then she nodded. She then closed up the phone before turning and walking out of the room.

"Ōsaka-san!" Aida Kaori – known as "Kaorin" to all her friends – called out as the other woman left. "Hey! You're part of class clean-up! Come back . . .!"

_FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!_

The half-dozen students who were involved in afternoon clean-up screamed out as a sudden gust of wind blew through the classroom for a moment, and then – once the wind had faded – opened their eyes before looking around. "Holy!" Ōyama Masa'aki, one of the smarter boys in the class, then gasped. "How'd the room get cleaned up?"

The others blinked in confusion while in the hallway beyond, a determined Ayumu was sprinting for the nearest private place so she could change . . .

* * *

Senshōbu-jinja, that moment . . .

"A world . . . of _**metahumans**_?"

For Sakurambō Sakura and her uncle, what Ten had just revealed to them truly showed that the Kami of the Universe really had a weird sense of humour.

Ten rapidly nodded. "Yeah! There's not a single 'norm' – that's people like amost everyone here in town – anywhere on the Scary Planet! And there're no 'sames' – that's people like mine and Oyuki-chan's people – there! Everyone's got a metahuman power! Some are super-strong! Some are super-fast! Some can resist bombs up to anti-matter devices! Some are a MIX of the whole lot! And there are psychics and magicals and reality-warpers and energy-projectors and all sorts of creepy stuff! And they LIKE it that way! Every time someone's tried to make them calm down, they go out and beat 'em all up in what they call 'Mother of All Fight Scenes!'" He then gulped as if even _hinting_ at such a planet and a race would cause havoc. "That's why they're so scary!"

The two priests nodded. "A race mired in total anarchy," Sakura then stated. "Now that I think of all the things Moroboshi's done since I first met him, that he could be one of this race makes a world of sense!" As Ten gasped and Cherry gazed at her, the Shintō shrine maiden took a deep breath. "One: He LOATHES any talk of being married to Lum or any other girl. Two: He CHAFES at anything we would see as 'right' and 'proper.' Three: Given what you just revealed about him, Oji-san, it's clearly obvious that he was FORCED to remain on Earth by the Men In Black to eventually face Lum in the Tag Race. And if that's so . . . and if he HAS recovered those memories . . . " She then got up and headed into the heiden of Senshōbu-jinja.

Ten and Cherry followed her, pausing at the side entrance to cleanse themselves before stepping into the hall of offerings within the shrine grounds; this was the closest place people outside Sakura herself came to confronting the kami enshrined in Senshōbu-jinja. Seated in the middle of the dark space was a raised platform with a crystal ball located there. Sakura was kneeling beside it, drawing out her ōnusa to wave over the ball as energy began to billow inside it. "Oh Kami of the Land!" she intoned. "A great power from beyond this world has come to us and possessed a child of this land! Show us the distant land which so frightens others from beyond this world!"

The crystal seemed to darken for a moment . . .

. . . and then a planet similar to Earth save for different continental formations then appeared. Struck by the beauty of such a place, Sakura remained spellbound as the ball's eye view zoomed in on a large city on the northern polar continent, revealing a vast metropolis the size of Tōkyō or New York City with the same level of technology as what existed on Earth these days, but was clearly a city that was under the grip of a dictator given the obvious repeated symbols of authoritarianism that were really no different than what had haunted Germany in the days of the Nazis decades before. Other cities were then displayed showing different – yet similar – scenes.

"A world oppressed by monsters," Cherry hissed out.

Suddenly, the imposed order was destroyed when people – men and women alike – seemed to come out of nowhere to assault the guardians of this society with powers that were truly beyond mortal understanding. As the oppressed people fled the city, the dictator and his supporters were quickly killed off by the attacking metahumans, leaving behind a burning city and mountains of corpses. Such scenes happened everywhere.

"The oppressed were freed and overthrew the oppressors," Sakura whispered.

A world of total desolation then appeared before them. Cities ruined, the countryside scorched, millions dead from starvation and war. The metahumans who had killed the dictators and overthrew their regimes found themselves wondering what to do next. At that moment, three people – all women wearing martial art gi-like uniforms marked with academic-like insignia on them – got together in a great dome to create machines of complex technology to unleash them on a bleeding world to heal it.

"The Circle of Thought . . . " Ten whispered in both awe and fear.

Soon, a world was made whole again. A world where robots manned farms and provided all the basic means of life to all who lived there. Natural vistas restored to pristine conditions. The skies and seas cleansed of all pollution. And the metahumans – including thousands of people wearing simple robes without any form of decoration or design – elected to live in a society without any form of structure.

"A virtual Utopia . . . " Cherry breathed out.

But soon enough, new battles began. Metahuman powers didn't chase away normal human ambitions. Soon enough, massive fights unleashing destruction of a scale no war on Earth could ever equal rocked this strange world yet again. But fortunately, the "circle of thought" that Ten just spoke of had anticipated such a thing, ensuring that repairs could be made and the battling metahumans could continue to fight while those who wished nothing further to do with fighting could live their lives in peace.

"A world that lived in eternal anarchy," Sakura stated.

The capital city of that world, years later. An Oni-Urusian woman similar to Lum in looks on one of the main streets, a handsome man standing behind her.

"When we tried to invade the Scary Place!" Ten said, pointing. "That's Lady Danu!"

The Tag Race begins . . . and ends in the blink of an eye as the local champion – who could fly! – tags Danu's horns within seconds of the starter's gun firing. She is shocked by that, but then blushes as the person chasing her – a fellow in a sky-blue uniform with flocks of birds on his arms and legs – behaves like a perfect gentleman to her and congratulates her for a good effort. Danu accepts it with a nod of thanks.

"Clearly a sportsman-like culture," Cherry noted.

Darkness then descent on that world. A growling Oni warlord – looking like a mix of Lum's father Invader and her ex-fiancé, Seq Rei – threatening invasion. The man who had tagged Danu glared at the leader of the "invasion" . . . before he and dozens of his friends wrecked the Oni ship and sent the crew fleeing back to Uru with their proverbial tails tucked between their legs. Danu was left behind, abandoned . . .

. . . but not alone.

As the three witnesses from 250 years in the future and a world 300 light-years away watched, the man who had tagged Danu came back down and welcomed her into his home so she could relax and recover from being left behind when her countrymen abandoned her on a world that was far more frightening than she could ever imagine. How the man guided her over the planet to meet with many of his friends. How she was accepted with both openness and clear fascination, no doubt because she was "normal" in the eyes of this race even if she could fly herself . . . though not as fast as her new friend could.

"They fell in love," Sakura commented.

Scenes of tenderness then followed. Quiet nights in the countryside where two people would just stare at the stars and enjoy each other's company. Intimate times which made Ten blush and look away . . . before Cherry's gasp made him turn to see the man then cover Danu's horn-buds with his hands yet again, making her cry with joy.

"They got MARRIED?" Ten cried out.

And then a dark cave. Where Danu faced a wall of pure crystal, glowing with a power even the gods would tremble at. When she touched it . . . and was absorbed into it for a moment before she emerged, now wearing a grey jumpsuit with lightning ball insignia on it. How she and her lover then faced an old man on a mountainside in a quiet ceremony to affirm their relationship before many of Danu's now-adopted people. How even the males of this race were driven to tears at the thought of their peer doing something that hadn't really been done on that world for over a millennia.

"She became one of them," Sakura mused.

"We never knew . . . "

Both priests gazed at Ten. "What do you mean, lad?" Cherry asked.

"Oji-san!" Sakura gasped.

They turned back to look . . .

"Hey! Lady Danu went back to Uru!" Ten cried out.

And sure enough, Danu had returned to her family on the world of her birth. How her parents had been overjoyed to know that their daughter was alive and well . . . and then how they became horrified of the idea of Danu actually getting married to a native of a planet that had repulsed the Oni so easily. A night later, she is stunned by security troops and dragged off into a laboratory to be experimented on.

"Buddha! That poor child!" Cherry nearly croaked.

But rescue came right away: Danu's husband burst into the laboratory when they were about to kill her and then physically ripped apart the scientists and security troops in the wink of an eye. Coming with him were about twenty others, both men and women. One of them was a slender man in a grey uniform with a white lemniscate insignia on his chest; on seeing him, Sakura and Cherry quickly sensed the sheet POWER contained within his body. As Danu's husband comforted his weeping wife, the others who had come with him to Uru looked around . . . and then an unholy rage overcame them all as they no doubt recalled their own world's dark past. A rage that unleashed a _**firestorm**_ on Uru.

"The Mother of All Fight Scenes . . .!" Ten whispered.

"Now you know the truth."

Everyone jolted, and then they turned . . .

"Moroboshi!" Sakura gasped.

Ataru smiled as he pushed himself off the wall he had been leaning on when he had come to Senshōbu-jinja to walk into the heiden, hands in his pockets as he came to a stop close to the two priests who – for good and ill – had done their best to ensure the dark spirits that they believed haunted his life remained out of it. Of course, even if they had no idea of what Ataru really was, he wasn't angry at them at all. Priests were driven by their beliefs to bring help unto others, so what Sakura and Cherry had done had been quite understandable in the end. Even AFTER Ataru remembered what he had become ten years ago and decided to play along with it until certain issues were dealt with. "I apologise for intruding," he then stated before he gazed on a now wide-eyed Ten. "So now you know the truth about the Mother of All Fight Scenes, Jariten. What will you do with that knowledge? Keep it to yourself . . . or let people on Uru learn the truth finally? Maybe make them _**think**_ for a change and stop supporting the idiots my past-self and his friends put down two hundred-and-fifty seasons ago . . . " A sigh. "Only to allow a new generation of idiots to take over your planet even after that very pretty Aruka Syl tried to get the people of your world to wake up finally."

"You're a _demon_!" Cherry snapped.

"Oji-san!" Sakura barked out.

"Oh, don't mind your uncle, Sakura-san," Ataru then stated as he gave the Shintō shrine maiden a knowing look. "He's rather too set in his ways to accept new forms of thinking. That's the curse of the elderly. You, on the other hand, seem to be quite the trailblazer in your own right. A shrine miko AND a school nurse? Isn't it one of the basic tenets in Shintō that shrine miko are NEVER to have contact with blood?"

Sakura gaped at him – some of the students at Tomobiki High School were wary of the fact that she was both a shrine miko and a school nurse for that very reason; it was that reason that the school had two nurses, one of whom was the full-time first-level caregiver, Chikamatsu Fusae – and then she peered at him with her own mage-sight for a moment before she gaped. "You're a _kitsune_!" she gasped as she pointed at him.

Ataru blinked, and then he laughed. "Kitsune?" After a moment of chuckling, he then took a deep breath. "Well, even if I'm not a true kami as you would see it, I do share some aspects with kitsune. But in truth, I take a different name. On Yiziba . . . "

A frightened scream. "_**DON'T SAY THAT NAME!**_" Ten shrieked out.

Ataru sighed as he snapped his fingers. Ten blinked, and then he drifted down to the floor as a gentle snore escaped him. Sakura and Cherry blinked before they turned to gaze on the young man they thought they knew so well . . . yet now were realising they knew NOTHING of. "Sorry about that," Ataru then stated. "Forgot that most of the races living close to Yiziba hate hearing the name of the planet, much less the name of my adopted race: 'Yizibajohei.' He's just resting now; he was getting tired from all the panicking he's been doing because of what happened to Lum." A sigh. "Anyhow, as I was saying, my previous-selves took inspiration from a similar legend to what the natives of North America often believed about trickster spirits. On Yiziba, my line-name would be '_Tuyuki_.' When I gained my Gift ten years ago, I adopted the English name '_**Coyote**_' since – even if I am Yizibajohei – I was born on Earth. And given how much my parents had stopped caring for me back when I was a child because I'm not my twin brother Kaeru, I refused to take up the Japanese name 'Kitsune' as my line-name."

Sakura blinked, and then she giggled. "The Trickster God of native American myths. Sometimes attributed as being the one who created the world. Sometimes a messenger of the gods. Sometimes a clown. Sometimes a fool. Sometimes the hero . . . " Her voice then trailed off before she gaped at him. "Like the way you've always acted . . . "

"Even in the seven months my memories of my life on Yiziba were suppressed thanks to the Men In Black and their magical friends in the International Confederation of Wizards. They could suppress my POWERS, but they could never suppress my SOUL! Now you understand, Sakura-san," Ataru finished, clearly unbothered these days by what had happened to him. "No doubt, some precognitive sensed the Oni coming to this world, sensed I could make sure it didn't turn into an invasion, then urged people to go out to find me. At the time, I was here in Tomobiki seeking out Miyake Shinobu so I could entice her to go to Yiziba to get a Gift." He snorted. "Which I _won't_ do again," he then muttered. "They caught me, nailed me with a neuraliser to stun me and my mind was probed. When they realised what I truthfully was, they called in some magical friends to suppress my powers and put a disguise field around me. Hence, no one from Uru or other worlds could sense what I really was. I was dumped off with my useless parents, Miyake agreed to be my girlfriend . . . and a month later, Lum came back into my life. The rest is history until we encountered Elle and I was rescued from the attempted 'wedding' those selfish idiots I was born from tried to force on me to get around the laws here stating I had to be eighteen before getting married . . . but then I learned of some things Lum was forced to keep secret from all of you, so I decided to act as if nothing happened to me while I worked to make sure this planet will remain safe."

Both priests blinked. "From the Oni, you mean," Sakura stated.

"And other races. One of which – for some truly bizarre reason – now view Lum herself as a _**living goddess**_." As Sakura and Cherry gaped, he added, "And because I don't 'bow' to her like those sycophants Mendō and Megane do, I'm seen as the 'great evil' in their 'theology.'" A dark look crossed Ataru's face. "Yes, I can hurt people. Yes, I can kill. But I will not stand idly by when people who don't know me USE me for their own purposes. NONE of my kind tolerate that sort of thing. I've already dealt these fools a very nasty blow four months ago, just before I came back to live here in town from my time back on Yiziba. The other part of it will happen . . . " He then drew out his iPhone to gaze on the time there. "In about a minute."

"Eh?" both Sakura and Cherry gasped . . .

. . . before a slight quake jolted the shrine under their feet, instantly waking Ten up. "Eh? Oh! Earthquake!" Instantly, he rose into the air. "Where's the quake?"

"Outside, Jariten," Ataru said as he waved the others with him out of the heiden.

As the four headed outside, Ataru then turned to point towards the town Ginza about a half-kilometre away. The others looked . . . and then gaped as a five-floor office building seemed to blast off from the ground and rocket into the sky. As shocked and angry shouts echoed from all around them, Ten then blinked. "Gee! I didn't know you made your buildings into anti-ship missiles!" he naïvely declared.

"No, that's not done here, Jariten," Ataru stated. "But in this case, thanks to the people who are ready to kill – AND HAVE killed! – in Lum's name, that building is going to be not just an anti-ship missile . . . but a missile that will wipe out the so-called 'Army of Lum' with one clean blow! Look into the sky!"

Ten – who gaped in stunned shock on realising that Ataru knew about THEM – then looked up . . . and then gasped. "Hey! A space-warp!"

"One opening to space close to Phentax Twenty," Ataru affirmed. "See the station?"

The others looked. "That looks like a starbase from _Star Trek_!" Sakura stated.

"In fact, it's the main fleet anchorage of the Army of Lum. Which is the popular nickname for the Space Fleet of the Union of Phentax Two," Ataru explained. "Three thousand combat ships, including five hundred Kashin-class battlewagons like what Lum's father commands." A smirk. "But it'll all be turned into scrap in about . . . "

A bright flash of light then blinded almost everyone in Tomobiki!

"Now," Ataru calmly declared.

As cries of horror and awe escaped people around them – that mixed with shrieks of pain and agony; Ataru had no doubt that such were now coming from natives of Phentax Two who had hidden themselves in their "holy city" so they could observe their "goddess" and her "holy company" up close and personal – he blinked his eyes to allow his vision to come back to him, and then gazed through the space-warp that had been opened up in the skies over Tomobiki. Through that warp, he could now see that the station – which reminded him of the command base that had been portrayed in a fan-created technical guide released in the 1970s based on _Star Trek_ – was now ripping itself to pieces, wrecking and crushing the vast number of ships within it. As he sensed a horrified croak escape Ten – as the young man was the nephew of a senior military leader on Uru, he probably knew a lot about what happened in space, especially when ships blew up in space – Ataru then sighed. "No one's died, Ten. Relax."

The others gaped at him. "Why?" Sakura breathed out.

A shrug. "Death scenes are too depressing to me," he admitted. "Now, if you'll all excuse me, I'm going to look in on my newly-acquired 'sister.' Maybe making her the new Matriarch of the Moroboshi Clan will stick a nice shank into Baka Aho Kā-san's hopes of stealing money that rightfully belongs to me. Don't worry about Lum, Ten; I had Infinity heal her wounds. But stay on Lum's ship for the time being, okay?"

And with that, he walked off, leaving three gaping people behind . . .

_**To be continued . . .**_

* * *

**WRITER'S NOTES:**

1) This story begins at chapter #354 ("Boy Meets Girl Part I: Pitch Black") of the _Yatsura_ manga. For fans of the anime, this is the first part of the fifth movie, _The Final Chapter_. Time-wise, it is a year after the first Tag Race as depicted in the first manga chapter ("A Good Catch") and the first television episode of the anime series ("I'm Lum The Notorious"). The events of the first movie, _Only You_, occurred six months after the Tag Race. All peers of Ataru will be in the second year of high school (for people in Japan), the equivalent of sixth year of studies at Hogwarts.

2) Translations: **Kōbun** – literally "foster child"; **Senshōbu **– A combination of the terms "**Senshō**" (good luck before noon with bad luck after lunch) and "**Senbu**" (bad luck before lunch and good luck afterward), taken from two of the **Rokuyō** ("six weekly days"), which are also known as **Rokki** ("six brilliances"), which is where Takahashi-sensei got the name **Tomobiki** (days where bad things happen to one's friends); **Jinja** – A Shintō shrine; **SOS Brigade** – English translation of the Japanese phrase **SOS-dan**, which is short for _**S**__ekai o __**Ō**__i ni Moriageru Tame no __**S**__uzumiya Haruhi no Dan_ (literally "Save the World by Overloading It With Fun Suzumiya Haruhi Brigade"); **Heiden** – The hall of a Shintō shrine where offerings to the kami are made; **Ōnusa** – Wand with **shide** (paper streamers) attached to it which is used by Shintō clerics in purification rituals; **Kitsune** – Japanese fox spirit, often depicted as a being with nine tails.

3) Yizibajohei (pronounced "yih-zee-bah-whoa-hey") terms: **Norm** – Sentient being without any form of metahuman power; **Same** – Sentient being who is part of a race which shares the same type of metahuman power (the Oni ability to fly, for example), which is also used in a psychological sense to indicate people who dress and act alike; **Stage** – Place where one lives; **Mother of All Fight Scenes** – A "fight scene" (battle between metahumans or between a metahuman and normal/same people) at a planet-wrecking scale; **Gift** – The power and life-experience of a deceased metahuman on Yiziba which is then bestowed on a non-meta Yizibajohei through the **Great Crystal of Power** (the literal core of Yiziba); **Nameless** – People on Yiziba who do not adopt a "battle name" (i.e. Infinity, Soul Searcher) after they are Gifted; **Season** – Yizibajohei year; **Death Scene** – When someone dies, usually quite traumatically and in public.

4) Note that all names used here for the _Yatsura_ characters that weren't shown in the manga or anime are my invention or (in the case of Urusian house names) are derived from Lew Burton's fanfic stories _Just A Dream_ and _Still Dreaming_. The names of the two _AzuDai_ girls depicted in the scene with Ayumu are taken from the first panel of the manga episode "Health First!" (depicted in the first volume of the _AzuDai_ manga).

5) **Moroboshi Kaeru** is a character from _The Senior Year_, he appeared in the story "My Darlings United." The favoured of the twins to Muchi and Kinshō, he suffered a bad accident when he was a child and would have died . . . though his body mysteriously disappeared from the hospital shortly afterward. In _TSY_ continuity, which this story is based on, he was taken by two natives of the planet Nagussa to be healed, where he remains to this very day. Since Ataru (in the timeline of this story) has no desire or cause to learn what happened to his brother due to his sense of abandonment by his family, he wouldn't care that Kaeru is still alive.

6) The incident on Valentine's Day that Cherry speaks of was Ataru's departure for his short visit to the planet Sagussa as shown in the _TSY_ story "Spirit-War Tomobiki."

7) North High School in the _Suzumiya Haruhi_ series was based on Nishinomiya North High School in the city of the same name, so I used that here. The location of Kasuga Ayumu's high school and its name was never indicated in the _AzuDai_ manga; both are my invention.

8) **Chikamatsu Fusae** is my name for the school nurse depicted in the manga episode "A Flying Start" (manga story #33). I mention her here since, as Ataru himself mused, it struck me as a little odd that a school nurse who was also a shrine miko (who are forbidden by tradition to have any dealings with blood) would be allowed to work alone at a high school.

* * *

**The Book of Pretty Girls_, Entry 0:_**

_**COYOTE  
(**also known as** TUYUKI)**_  
**The Trickster of the Show**

**Generation:** 22nd  
**Age at Gifting:** 6 years, 1 month (Earth-time)

**Real Name:** MOROBOSHI Ataru  
**Relatives:** MOROBOSHI Muchi (_father, relationship not acknowledged_), MOROBOSHI (_née_ YAMAGUCHI) Kinshō (_mother, relationship not acknowledged_), MOROBOSHI Kaeru (_twin brother, presumed deceased_), MOROBOSHI (_née_ HANA) Nagaiwakai (_paternal grandmother, deceased_), MOROBOSHI Komeru (_paternal uncle, relationship not acknowledged_), various adopted cousins (_relationships not acknowledged_), REDET Lum (_fiancée by Oni-Urusian mating traditions, no marriage by Japanese law due to being legally underage; Listed in _The Book of Pretty Girls_, Entry 2_)  
**Affiliation:** Self, self's fiancée, all those who received Gifts because of self  
**Base of Operations:** Private cabin on the northern polar continent, Yiziba (for the previous thirteen months, the Moroboshi home in Tomobiki District, City of Nishitōkyō, Metropolis of Tōkyō, State of Japan, Earth)  
**Alignment:** Neutral/Anti-face  
**Identity:** On Yiziba, publicly known; on Earth, known to the general public in the Kantō region of Japan, but his being a Yizibajohei is unknown  
**Race/Culture of Birth:** Terran/Japanese  
**Place of Birth:** City of Wakkanai, Sōya Sub-prefecture, Hokkaidō, State of Japan, Earth  
**Gender:** Male (can morph into female if desired)  
**Height:** 172 cm (5' 8")  
**Weight:** 74.75 kg (165 lb) (_as boy_) 52.1 kg (115 lb) (_as girl_)  
**Eyes:** Brown  
**Hair:**Brown-black

**Gifts:**  
**_Reality Warping:_** Coyote has the power to alter reality to a limited extent, usually when it is within very close range to his body. Usually, this power gives him the ability to negate the natural laws of physics in a way that would allow him to escape any form of confinement he is forced to endure. He also uses this power to give him superhuman speed, with the ability to race at sonic speeds for short bursts. Other expressions of this Gift are possible, but Coyote doesn't use them in a way that would either scare or intimidate others as such goes against his personal beliefs.  
**_Gender Morphing:_** An extension of the above-mentioned capability, which allows Coyote to morph himself to the DNA level into what he could have been if he was born a girl. As the current incarnation of Tuyuki would have been female had a normal Gifting occurred, Coyote developed this power so that he could spend "girl days" whenever the mood struck him. This power also allows him to morph his clothing to appropriate forms of dress for the culture and exact social situation "she" might find "herself" in.  
**_Broadcast Telepathy:_** A limited range telepathy that allows Coyote to communicate with people within ten kilometres range to strangers or fifty kilometres to friends.  
**_Empathy:_** A limited form of empathic sensory which allows Coyote to gauge the mood of people close to him, usually within a kilometre range of his person.  
**_Ki (Life Energy) Manipulation:_** Coyote has the ability to manipulate his personal ki to allow several effects. Such allows him to increase his body's ability to perform at high normal levels of stress for days at a time or metahuman levels of stress for quick bursts of up to about ten minutes. With this, he can run for long periods of time, jump almost a kilometre distance in Earth gravity, resist high levels of physical or energy impacts (which he only uses at times when such would not be noticed by others he wishes to keep his powers secret from) and recover from considerable injury. He also has the ability to create a ki-mallet he calls the "Ultimate Idiot Basher" with which he could strike down people on the head. Coyote is loath to do this to a woman, though he can do it if he is in female form (though under very dire circumstances).  
**_Enhanced Personal Health:_** Coyote's physical state of health is that of a non-Gifted Yizibajohei who engages in intensive exercise revolving around long-endurance events such as marathons. He can use his reality-warping powers to deflect any attempts at poisoning, intoxicating or drugging him, but normally doesn't do this unless he senses such an attack is meant to hurt or kill him by people who would wish him permanently crippled or dead. He doesn't use his powers to resist his fiancée's bio-electrical shocks, though he can recover from such shocks quickly. He also could resist attempts by his fiancée's maternal cousin Redet Jariten to burn him with his flame-breath, but doesn't do that as such risks revealing his true nature to Jariten . . . and thus to Lum and others. He can also resist attempts by his fiancée's childhood friend/rival Aruka Ran to use her empathic vampirism against him (to literally "suck his youth" out of him), but Coyote has not had real cause to use that sort of defence against Ran.  
**_Self-Disguise Field:_** Thanks to the events that led Coyote to live on Earth in his estranged parents' home since shortly after his seventeenth birthday, Coyote now has a mixed magical/technological disguise field around his person which hides his true nature from any form of magical, psionic or technological scan. After he recovered his memories of his life on Yiziba, Coyote (with the help of **Infinity**, _see Entry 1_) adopted the field to ensure none could detect his true nature as such serves his purposes.

**Personality:**

In effect, Coyote lives for the enjoyment of the moment, uncaring at all for anything that he views as being a waste of his time. He has simply no care at all for any set "normal" social structures as such – thanks to both his personal life before his Gifting and the memories passed down to him from previous incarnations of Tuyuki – and will resist any attempts at forcing him to conform to such structures. He loathes the concept of marriage, though he does acknowledge love as something that would allow two people to live together as a couple (such as what his fiancée desires).

Because of that, Coyote initially found himself conflicted when it came to Redet Lum and her place in his life. On one hand, he was quite grateful to have her as his one true friend while living on Earth (until his memories were restored and he could communicate with all of his other friends across the planet). On the other hand, his own beliefs and the example of his estranged parents (who live very dull lives in his eyes) makes him balk at the idea of formalising a relationship with Lum in the way she herself desires. He will, however, defend Lum's freedom of choice to the death if required (as witness his interfering in an "engagement party" Lum's father set for her sometime after they began living together, not to mention his actions after his memories were restored against Lum's "most faithful" on Phentax Two, culminating in the destruction of the colony of Phentax Twelve, the liberation of the Avalonians and the later destruction of the "Army of Lum" with the help of the **Weaver**, _see Entry 416_).

Coyote has a deep hatred of any form of child abuse (as witness what he did for the **Warlock**; _see Entry 321_), though he will respect anyone's desire to try to deal with such on their own (as he has done for **Carcajou**, _see Entry 100_). He is very attracted to females of any hominoid species, considering such beings as "pretty" . . . and because of his desire to protect his birth-world from possible alien invasion, he has gone out of his way to locate females of his age group to bring before the Great Crystal of Power to be Gifted (during the time his memories were blanked out, this desire was warped into forms of lechery that were described by him as "girl hunting," usually in open defiance of the many things Lum did to try to make him acknowledge their "marriage" under Oni traditions). He does acknowledge the choice to refuse a Gift and has chastised people in the past for forcing Gifts on other people (as witness the **Dominatrix**'s recent actions concerning the current **Manacle**, _see Entry 854 and Annex Entry 854-A_).

While Coyote can be quite forgiving when it comes to those who have hurt him either intentionally or by accident, he has his limits. His estranged parents' inability to properly be parents to him due to their grieving for his lost twin brother Kaeru guaranteed that Coyote would not live on Earth for nine years before bad luck had him trapped in his parents' home in Tomobiki for over a year. His former childhood friend Miyake Shinobu, who participated in Coyote's effective capture and imprisonment on Earth, is also one that he does not wish to help anytime in the future. Child abusers such as the maternal relatives of Warlock and their home community of Little Whinging in County Surrey, England have faced Coyote's wrath for over seven years, a state of affairs that will not abate unless they all face their own shortcomings and own up to their mistreatment of Harry Potter . . . which, given the Dursley family's maniacal desire to be seen as "normal" people, may never come.

And above all else, there are the Niphentaxians (especially members of the so-called "One True Church of Lum"); their actions concerning the Avalonians as well as the atrocities they have committed in Lum's name (and could have committed as well, as witness the presence of a starbase self-destruct device/annihilation bomb that was placed in Tomobiki shortly after Lum began to reside full-time on Earth) have marked them as a race that will soon endure a lot of pain for the hubris of their leaders.

In effect, if you're on Coyote's good side, you have a friend for life.

If you're on his BAD side, though . . .!


	2. The Charging Belle of the Heavens

A kilometre over the Moroboshi home, an hour later . . .

"_**DARLING IS ONE OF THEY WHO MUST NEVER BE NAMED?**_"

Ten nodded. "Yeah! He's Tuyuki . . . but he calls himself with the Earth translation of the name, 'Coyote!' He was one of the ones in the Mother of All Fight Scenes!"

A wide-eyed Lum stared at her cousin. After waking up in Sakura's shrine and being checked over by the nurse/miko, she had flown back up to her mobile home with her cousin. Once they were alone, Lum then got an emergency call from her father on Uru, reporting that something awful had happened to the Niphentaxians – a race she gladly wished every day would finally get a LIFE! – and that she had to stay on Earth for her own safety until things settled down. Once the link with Onishuto was cut, Ten then told her what he had seen . . . and who had instigated it. And why.

After a moment as her mind nearly crashed from THAT atomic bomb being dropped on her head, Lum then sank into the command chair in the pilotage of her ship. "Darling . . . is _**Tuyuki**_? Of the You Know Whos? How's that possible? We would've . . .!"

"The Men In Black and some magicals disguised him as a normal Terran, Lum-chan!" Ten cut in. "Even worse, they made him FORGET he was one of the Scary People!" As Lum gasped on hearing that, he added, "But he got rescued by Infinity when we tried to have your wedding in Onishuto! While we were all getting healed up, he went back to the Scary Place, got his mind put right . . . but then he found out about that moron Ōgi and those idiots on Phentax Two! And found out that they put some sort of _**annihilation bomb**_ in the Tomobiki Ginza!" As Lum gargled on hearing that her own so-called "most faithful" had threatened HER with THAT, Ten hummed. "I'll bet he destroyed Phentax Twelve, too! But five million people died there!" Another hum. "Then why . . .?"

«_Ten-chan, they were already dead!_»

Both Oni gasped at that woman's voice echoing in their heads. "_**WHO'S THAT?**_" Lum cried out as both she and Ten looked around the pilotage.

«_Soul Searcher_,» an amused answer returned. «_Ataru-kun helped me get my Gift when I was eight, along with my best friend; she's Warwind now._»

«_Yo!_» another woman – sounding a lot like Lum's best friend, Shigaten Benten of Fukunokami – then called out. «_So when are you gonna get Gifted, Lum-chan?_»

«_Hey!_» the first voice snapped back. «_She's scared enough of us! Leave her be!_»

Surprised that one of THEM would defend HER like that, Lum then giggled before she sobered. "So what do you mean about all the people on Phentax Twelve being dead already?" she demanded. "According to Ōgi, the whole colony was slaughtered!"

«_And Ōgi's record of truthfulness is . . .?_» the woman born Mizuhara Koyomi – now the Mistress of the Mind Dive, _**Soul Searcher**_ – asked from her home in Nakano Ward not far from Azuma High School. «_What was the bastard's excuse for _Lecashuto _six years ago? Much less, did he _ever_ say anything about what just got fired into space today?_»

Lum blinked, and then she moaned. "True . . . "

"So what happened?" Ten asked.

«_Turns out, Grand Sorceress Zō__ju of the Oak Forest slammed a curse on Lum when she was just born for her not being invited to the baby shower, Ten-chan. It was to ultimately guarantee that Lum would never known true love_,» Yomi replied. «_The curse was processed through the Milky Way 'Curses 'R Us' Management Organisation . . . but the controlling crystal got lost on a dump on the home planet of the Galactic Mail Service. Someone from Phentax Two found it, got possessed by the curse – I don't know exactly how as magic's not my game – then eventually brought it to Phentax Twelve. By the time we got there four months ago, all the colonists were literally living zombies, their life forces being drained to feed the curse's power. Eventually, the Warlock and the Cosmic Mage Guild had to euthanize them all._» A sigh. «_That sucked . . . _»

«_Of course, it was around that time that idiot Ōgi started calling Ataru-kun the 'Great Evil,'_» Yomi's best friend Takino Tomo – now the Wild Warrior of Passion, _**Warwind**_ – added. «_Well, he wasn't going to tolerate that, so he had the entire Niphentaxian military-industrial complex crippled permanently. I still say we should'a sent Margo-chan out to kill the bastard!_» A snort. «_Well, as of now . . . _»

«_Lum gets an early birthday present,_» Yomi finished.

Lum perked. "'An early _**birthday present**_?'"

«_What's your fondest wish?_» the current incarnation of Yiziba's most powerful telepath asked. «_Other than to marry Ataru-kun and live with him for the rest of his life?_»

The Oni warlord's daughter blinked, and then she laughed. "_Tcha_ . . .!"

"Yeah! She's always wanted to get rid of that idiot Ōgi!" Ten said, snickering.

«_So don't complain,_» Yomi replied from Nakano. «_We'll fill you in on the details soon enough, you two. Right now, you need time to absorb all this. Relax. Don't worry about the Ipraedies and the Seifukusu; we can keep them in line if we have to._»

"Was _that_ why Darling helped you get your powers?" Lum asked.

A mental wink. «_What do you think?_»

A hum. "Good point . . . "

* * *

The Moroboshi home, that moment . . .

"I would definitely say that this poor girl's a victim of PTSD."

"Post-traumatic stress disorder," Ataru stated as he gazed on one of the lovely witches from England he had found over the years to help transform them into beings that were beyond the comprehension of the average resident of places like London's Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade in Scotland near Hogwarts. "How did it happen, 'Mione?"

Hermione Granger – the current incarnation of the Master Planner of the Cosmic Mage Guild, the _**Thaumaturge**_ – took a deep breath. "Turns out that sometime very soon, Lum will learn she has an outstanding engagement over her head with a prince from the planet Yaminokuni." As Ataru nodded, remembering what Tariko had said about that, the normal-born witch-turned-magical meta from Crawley in East Sussex added, "Things happen and Tariko – when she was still Ataru – came to believe Lum finally rejected him for someone else. They broke up and Lum remained on Yaminokuni while Ataru returned to Earth. A girl from Yaminokuni named Carla came along the ride . . . and she had native Yaminokuni mushrooms that were eventually exposed to Earth's biosphere by Ran."

He chuckled. "Ah, my favourite schizoid airhead!" He then sobered. "Then again, she was almost as badly beaten by her mother as Margo was by her adopted parents. Go on."

"Well, Lum decided – as Tariko here saw it – to take advantage of an ecological disaster and force her to play a game of tag. No tag, the mushrooms would destroy Earth. Tag Lum's horns, the prince's pigs would eat the mushrooms."

A snort. "The Infinite Wave would work worlds better."

"Tariko never knew of the Yizibajohei. And she wouldn't find out about them until the fifth night of the Second Tag Race . . . after Lum threw an extra stipulation in on the Tag Race." At his prompting, she added, "If he lost, she would wipe the memories of all the people in Tomobiki of all that had happened to them since the First Tag Race."

A chuckle. "Ah! Wipe out the memories and the evidence of their previous time here on Earth, then come back and redo, hoping to do better. Typical. Go on."

She sighed as she whispered a spell to allow Tariko to fall into a restful sleep. "Later that evening, Destructo appeared in Tariko's bedroom. After getting her to calm down, he gave her a deal of his own. Allow her to go to Yiziba and gain a Gift, then Tariko could return and defeat Lum like the Rampage 250 years ago defeated Lum's ancestor. In effect, fling the whole Tag Race concept right into the Oni's collective faces and show them that Tariko had no reason whatsoever to respect the traditions Lum held sacred. Of course, Tariko didn't realise that Lum had her bedroom bugged good. Lum and her father knew right away that one of 'They Who Must Not Be Named' were now involved . . . " A shake of the head. "And that was _not_ cricket! Benten flew down on her airbike with a gun to try to shot down the bloody 'You Know Who' . . . but given her bad aim, it doesn't surprise me that Tariko was hit instead. Destructo teleported her – remembering she was still a 'he' at the time – to the Doll House . . . "

"Battle Doll," he confirmed. At her nod, he sighed. "Ayumu hates them . . . "

"Don't blame her," Hermione mused. She didn't really care too much for pure-fight scene-type synthezoids herself. Why on Earth didn't Kasuga Ayumu destroy them, she couldn't comprehend. "When that happened, Destructo blasted the ship Lum's father commanded right back to Uru itself, then had Infinity unleash the Infinite Wave to wipe out the alien plague . . . and deliver every alien on the planet back to their home worlds at that time. As luck would have it, the annihilation bomb the Niphentaxians had buried in the Tomobiki Ginza was dropped on Lumukyō." As he winced, she breathed out, "Two billion dead . . . and an entire planet was plunged into _nuclear winter_."

"Damn . . .!" Ataru breathed out. He knew how frightfully destructive members of his adopted race could be. That was why he had gone out to find EARTH children – who had a veneer of civilisation in them even if the animal lusts that a Gifting could unleash with the force of a supernova were still buried deep in their hearts – to bring before the Great Crystal of Power. He himself could never conceive of killing such a large number of people, even if most of them had been effectively brainwashed into believing he himself had to be destroyed. But there were people out there who could do such a thing. Out of both malicious intent . . . and out of _ignorance_. "What happened then? With our counterparts in play, the alien races around Earth would have backed off."

"They did . . . but it didn't go easy for them. With the Niphentaxians, even if Ōgi himself was dead, the Church of Lum was still in charge. They launched a 'holy crusade' on Yiziba to avenge the 'defeat of their beloved Goddess.'" Hermione shook her head. "It was a total slaughter. And one the Ipraedies and the Seifukusu immediately took advantage of to double-team Uru and smash them down. After Rampage and friends decided to unleash the Mother of All Fight Scenes Mark II on them."

"News of that ever got to Earth?"

"Two months later," she noted. "After she got to Yiziba and was reborn, Tariko met up with the Academician and was given a crash-course in what the galactic situation was around her Earth." At his curious look, Hermione sighed. "The same as ours." At Ataru's nod, she then said, "Tariko was then allowed to communicate with Lum at her family home outside Onishuto. Well, in THAT case, Lum no longer had the upper hand and was quite afraid of what the 'You Know Whos' would do to her people. Tariko taunted her with that, plus also passed on the news about the deaths of so many of her 'most faithful.' Called her a liar, a monster, a betrayer, a murderess, and a few other things . . . and then, thanks to her having Lum's old horns; they fell off her head when she had been kidnapped by her other fiancé before this all began . . . "

He winced. "She effectively 'divorced' her."

A nod. "Right in front of Lum's parents and her friends. Tariko then taunted Benten with the fact that if she hadn't shot Ataru, Lum wouldn't be suffering as she was. Tariko then made sure Oyuki would behave by threatening to have the Yizibajohei take away the Neptunians' central warp chamber and eventually make Triton uninhabitable to Oyuki's people." As he nodded – it was a known fact around the galaxy that life on Triton, the largest of the moons of the eighth planet, was always on a knife's edge due to the massive levels of snow that was generated on that world; hence, the need for a space-warp system to send the access snow elsewhere – Hermione took a deep breath. "Well, with that done, Tariko's Earth was effectively safe from retaliation. No one on Uru wished to risk another Mother of All Fight Scenes – not knowing that the Ipraedies and the Seifukusu were about to attack them; Rampage's move happened about a week after Lum found herself without a 'husband' – and Lum's friends were too busy comforting her after she had her heart wrecked like that. And since Tariko had no love for her parents, she declared she would never live on Earth again. She gave Lum a parting taunt saying that if Lum had any real guts, she would face Tariko on _Yiziba_ in lieu of being an ECOLOGICAL TERRORIST and holding a defenceless planet hostage like she had done with Earth. Which proved how _dishonourable_ the Urusians as a people were."

He winced. "Ouch! Lum's people are a proud lot. _That_ wouldn't have gone over well, especially with the Imperials on that planet." He then sighed. "So what happened when the Ipraedies and the Seifukusu went to war with the Urusians?"

"News of that didn't get to Earth for two months. By then, Tariko had been given the chance to adjust to what she had become thanks to a few people on Yiziba. She was given the offer to get a Gift and become organic, but was still holding off on it until she could learn how involved Lum was in Benten's attack on her." A sigh. "I guess she just wanted some closure on that part of her life given how much Lum had impacted it." At Ataru's nod, she added, "Benten was hunted down by Tolose and dragged back to Habitation One to be made to face Tariko." On hearing that, Ataru winced; the Wild Hunter of the Wilderness currently lived under the Earth name _**Carcajou**_ and was a friend and ally of his in Japan. Given the nature of that Gift – atop heightened senses and an incredible healing factor, one with that Gift could literally create foot-long ENERGY CLAWS out of the fingertips that could slice through anything save any neutronium- or mesonium-derived material – it was a good bet that the Benten of that universe had gone to Yiziba short a couple limbs. "And with Windtalker filming away for transmission on Uru for Lum to see, Tariko found out that Lum – while she certainly didn't want Ataru to make a deal with the Yizibajohei – wouldn't want her 'husband' to be hurt. Of course, Benten – even if she was scared out of her mind – was playing tough girl and spitting all sorts of insults Tariko's way." As he winced, she sighed. "It got too much. Tariko blasted Benten's head off with a ki shot at point-blank range. When news of that got to Ipraedos City, Emperor Schwartz decided to have Lum publicly executed in Onishuto's Revolution Square for her 'silent support' of the Church of Lum. With the Intergalactic News Network projecting an image of that . . . "

"Don't tell me: In the skies over Tomobiki, right?"

Hermione nodded. "And all the Niphentaxian colonies still existing at the time."

He hissed out. "Oh, Fates . . .!"

The visitor from Britain took a deep breath. "Of course, no one bothered to advise Tariko this was happening. By the time a touch of homesickness prompted her to ask Infinity to take her back to Earth, al-Qā'idah had acted. They blew up a radiological bomb at Tomobiki High School in morning assembly three months after the Second Tag Race was stopped. Ninety percent of the school population eventually died. Other attacks saw Tariko's parents killed, not to mention people like Miss Sakurambō and her uncle. Few survivors from those Tariko had associated with before . . . and given how al-Qā'idah started to crow afterward over the destruction of the 'devil alien woman's worshippers from Earth,' the feelings of people _**outside**_ Tomobiki turned very much anti-Oni once they were reminded of what had happened over a year before with the world's oil. Of course, given that no one seemed to care about how many had died . . . "

"People inside Tomobiki felt totally abandoned," he finished. "Without anyone around to clue them into reality, it would be easy for them to go back to default mode: Blame me – Tariko – for everything, even the stupid stuff that she never was involved in."

"Yes," she noted. "Tariko came back four months after she was reborn in the Doll House. She was horrified on seeing the destruction and the fact that no one bothered to try to come into town to fix everything up . . . but when Miyake Shinobu – she had been sick and away from school when al-Qā'idah attacked – confronted her and accused her of murdering everyone in town, Tariko . . . " A sigh. "Snapped."

Ataru winced. "As a Battle Doll, she's as strong as Warwind when she's calm," he stated. "There would have been nothing left of Miyake except a smear on the ground."

"Yeah," Hermione affirmed. "And given that Tariko still had some feelings for her, when she woke up from the battle madness and found Shinobu dead at her feet . . . "

"Suicidal ki blast? Like Hibiki Ryōga's Shin-shishihōkōdan?"

A nod. "It killed off everyone else in Tomobiki. No one beyond. Destructo guaranteed that thanks to an energy shield he had put around the town limits."

A shake of the head. "So she was alone in a sea of ruins . . . "

"And she stayed there for a couple of months. Refused any offer of charity from the Japanese government when they sent in soldiers to look in on her. She was absolved of what happened; the Kantō Magical Association got in there to question her and they got the whole story. And since the Urusians and the Niphentaxians were no longer a threat to Earth – and since the Seifukusu and the Ipraedies might decide to sweep in and conquer Earth now that their rivals were out of the way – it was decided to find some magical way to replicate the Battle Doll concept. Create an army of unstoppable warriors born ultimately of the one power that ALL aliens close to Earth feared to ensure the planet would stay free and safe." A sigh. "Tariko allowed them to take samples of her blood to be cloned, but she stayed in Tomobiki. Infinity found her two months later and she let him have it with both barrels. Blamed the Yizibajohei for Lum's death, the deaths of everyone in Tomobiki and everything else. She then broke down and cried, begging him to kill her so she could be at peace. He . . . "

"Sent her here."

"Yes."

Ataru hummed as he gazed on his sleeping "sister" nearby. What she had endured was a personal holocaust beyond comprehension to any normal person. Without the emotional and spiritual support of Yiziba, Ataru himself might have faced the same situation in a few days when Lum's other would-be fiancé came to claim her. But since the flow of history on the Yiziba of THIS universe had gone much differently than what had happened in Tariko's universe, he doubted any of the world of metahumans would have come to save Earth if what Hermione just described did happen in the near future . . .!

But would there had been a Destructo in this universe if Ayone Katabarbe still had lived to go forth to other worlds to seek out a new Coyote to be born . . .?

A sigh. _How do the people in the West say it again . . .? Ah, yeah! 'There but with the Grace of God go I,'_ he mused to himself before he reached for his iPhone. A tap later, he called into it, "Hey, Liz! You awake over there or asleep?"

A tired groan from one of the bedrooms in a beautiful family home in a small bedroom community on the Santa Barbara Coast of California northwest of Los Angeles. "It's midnight here, Ataru," Elizabeth Wakefield – the current incarnation of the Great Sage of the Circle of Thought, the _**Academician**_ – then replied. "I just went to bed."

"Any scans of any alien ship over Japan at this time?" he asked.

"I'll get back to you."

The link with Sweet Valley was cut. "So if this prince is here . . .!" Hermione began.

"We need to alert Lum so she can be forewarned," Ataru finished . . .

* * *

Sweet Valley, that moment . . .

"Hey, Liz! What's going on?"

Elizabeth sighed as she tapped controls at her computer. She was still in her bedroom, not in the hidden lab buried under the back yard of her family home where most of her equipment – that which she had not brought to Earth from Yiziba over the last five years – was located. "Ataru called," she said as Jessica closed the door behind her, thus activating privacy screens around the room to ensure their parents Ned and Alice couldn't overhear them. "There's a possible alien threat over Japan."

"You mean beyond the usual morons?" Jessica moaned as she sat down on her sister's bed, reaching over to hug the teddy bear – dressed in a black martial arts gi; Ataru had got it for Elizabeth for her fourteenth birthday – that was by her pillows.

"Possibly. Ataru decided to execute the bomb disposal with Haruhi's and Ayumu's help a little earlier than he planned originally . . . " Elizabeth then hummed as an image appeared on her computer screen. "Hello! Hello! What have we here?"

Jessica came over to look. "Where from?"

"Yaminokuni."

The younger of the Wakefield twins hummed. "Arab-like people that live on a planet in eternal darkness thanks to fungal spore clouds in the atmosphere. Orbits a blue star at the south edge of the Orion Arm. About twenty-five big ones from here."

"Yep."

"Ataru say why he wanted them gone?"

"Nope, but I'm about to ask."

A sigh. "Okay. I'll go play 'Miss Big Bad Wolf.' Be back in a few."

And with that, she walked out of the room . . .

* * *

In orbit over Japan . . .

"What was that report, Captain?"

The captain of the royal yacht bowed his head. "It was overheard coming in from Uru, Your Highness. Something that either badly damaged or destroyed the Niphentaxians' main fleet anchorage near Phentax Twenty. Nothing further at this time."

Hearing that, the great-grandson of the First Patriarch of the Kingdom of Yaminokuni smirked as he moved to slip the small pendant out from under his robes to gaze on the innocent picture within. The only hope for him to escape HER finally . . . and thanks to his own ancestor's smart thinking and luck itself, he could exploit it.

Yes, there were the problems when it came to a woman like Redet Lum. Her Terran "husband" . . . who really WASN'T her husband as there was no proper marriage tag reported performed on Lum anytime after the Tag Race the Oni launched on Earth ended. Given what Rupa had learned about Moroboshi Ataru thanks to friends on other worlds, he knew his "rival" really didn't care to reciprocate any feelings Lum expressed towards him. Making Lum see that he was honest about his claim of marriage for her . . . and that he would love and respect her where the stupid Terran skirt-chaser did not . . .!

Rupa then grinned. The other issue with Lum – the Niphentaxians – would be quite an annoyance . . . but recently, the nigh-invincible power Ōgi displayed to all around him had suffered a severe hit. Phentax Twelve – a "closed" colony to outsiders for reasons no one knew why – had been destroyed four Earth-months before with the loss of five million colonists. As to the "who" and "why" – despite Ōgi's demented claims that Moroboshi Ataru was behind it – it was a total mystery. But even with that, the fact that the seemingly "unbeatable" Niphentaxians had lost five million of their own so suddenly and so ruthlessly had been noted in halls of power on other worlds. While the "Army of Lum" was still strong – or was it? – the fact that the oxymoron called the "One True Church of Lum" had lost a considerable number of its flock . . .!

"Your Highness!"

Rupa looked over. "What is it?"

"Overhearing a communiqué from Earth – within Tomobiki itself – being transmitted to Phentax Two," the ship's secure communications officer stated. "A fellow named Hoss reporting that the Final Solution was torn away from the 'holy city' and sent through a space warp to destroy the fleet anchorage at Phentax Two." A snort. "Naturally, your fiancée's would-be 'husband' is being blamed for this . . . " He then paused before gaping. "And there was an attack on your fiancée not two hours ago in Tomobiki!"

"_**WHAT?**_" Rupa cried out.

"Cause unknown . . . " A moan. "By the Dark Grove! Can't those idiots say something straight WITHOUT blaming their 'great evil?'" As the others on the bridge smirked, he then hummed. "Miss Lum is currently aboard her ship in low orbit over Tomobiki, along with her cousin Master Jariten. No sign of Moroboshi Ataru, though he was reported to be seen at the shrine of Sakurambō Sakura an hour ago. Miss Sakura and her uncle were there, too. Nothing else to report, though . . . " A chuckle. "They're scared."

"That could be a danger, Your Highness," the ship's captain then advised. "If the Niphentaxians have lost their fleet, then the Ipraedies and the Seifukusu might move in on this system. If Miss Lum is still here at this time . . . "

Rupa grinned. "All the better to persuade her to leave this world for Yaminokuni."

"_**YOUR HIGHNESS!**_"

His head snapped over. "WHAT . . .?"

His breath then caught in his throat as his eyes locked in on the female figure FLOATING not fifty metres away from the windows of his own command bridge!

In AIRLESS SPACE!

WITHOUT any sort of life-support gear!

And she was dressed in a VERY familiar jumpsuit-like uniform.

One all Urusians had cause to know of.

The current incarnation of the man who had launched the Mother of All Fight Scenes.

The Charging Belle of the Heavens.

_**Rampage**_ . . .

* * *

Lum's scoutship . . .

"Gree-tings, a-li-en crea-ture. Take me to your lea-der."

Lum gasped on hearing that robotic voice, and then she looked over. "Darling!"

Her breath then in her throat caught on her seeing the form-fitting jumpsuit he was wearing now. Like most Yizibajohei, Moroboshi Ataru wore a uniform that resembled a martial artist's gi from Japan save for it being a single-piece affair. Ataru's uniform was a light grey overall with black fur-like flecks on the arms and legs, an icon showing the head of a canine-like creature – no doubt, the Yizibajohei version of a Terran coyote – on his left chest, over his heart. A black belt and black slip-on shoes finished the ensemble. But what was making Lum drool was the sight of his chest – which was showing off some black body hair there – that was barely hidden by the V-cut of his top. And that despite the wide leggings and sleeves of his uniform, the muscles of his body and limbs – not to mention his oh-so-sexy butt! – were practically displayed for her to gaze unashamedly on. "Wow . . .!" she groaned. "Was this what Lady Danu felt like when Rampage tagged her horns and married her?"

"Probably. At least, that's what the current Rampage – a good friend of mine from southern California named Jessica Wakefield – remembers of that life." And with that, the Trickster of the Show came over to gently pull her into his embrace. "I'm sorry I never told you this earlier. Before Elle, I couldn't tell you . . . "

"And after Elle, you found out about Ōgi and that bomb in the Ginza," she finished for him as she felt herself sink into his embrace, glad to be held so close by a Darling that was all she could ever dream him to be. And so much more! "Darling, you told Ten-chan that all the people on Phentax Twelve were dead. What happened?"

A sigh. "Did your parents ever tell you of Grand Sorceress Zōju of the Oak Forest?" Ataru – Lum wasn't sure she could think of him as _**Coyote**_ even if he was in the costume – then asked as he guided her onto the bed before sitting beside her.

A nod. "Very powerful magical. She was invited to the baby shower for me, but the invitation got lost in the mail. She threatened to curse me, but we never heard any more of that. She's kinda creepy, but she's okay. Why do you ask?"

He grimaced. "She _did_ put a curse on you. She prepared a controlling orb for the Curses 'R Us people to deal with, but it got lost in the mail. Now, think of this in the bounds of space-time." As she nodded, he stated, "Two hundred years from now, a kid – a descendant of ours – finds the orb. It's been sitting on the home planet of the Galactic Mail Service all those years. And the power inside that thing's grown over that time. When he's possessed by it, he gets the urge to look in on you. So he travels back in time to when you're still alive . . . and since there are now TWO controlling curse orbs, one from the future and one in the present . . . "

She paled. "The curse activated?"

"Yeah. Because of that – this is what the Weaver; she's a friend of mine from down near Kōbe – reported: Three months ago, the timelines diverged. This kid – his name's Rū – appeared at the opening of the Tomobiki Marchenland and curse me, then kidnapped you and drew you into a pocket dimension where you would be safe and pure. It then needed me – with help from Rū's governess – to put it all right and return the timeline to normal. But because he visited you in the past, the controlling orb in our timeline absorbed all the power from his own orb . . . and all it needed was someone to find it and be possessed by it. A girl named Otako odai-Meinyak found it six years ago when she was travelling with her friends. And when she took it to Phentax Twelve, it sensed the passion all the people there felt about you . . . and spread its influence over all of them. So when we got there four months ago, all the colonists . . . " A sigh. "Well, as a friend from England who came in to check on Tariko would call them, they became inferi. Un-dead zombies. We had no choice but to euthanize them."

Lum shuddered, her eyes tearing. "_Tcha_ . . . maybe you shouldn't have told me that."

"I had to," Ataru confessed. "I don't ever take joy in killing someone even by proxy, Lum. I'm supposed to be the Trickster of the Game. I unleash pranks on people to make them laugh and stop being so arrogant – and for the most arrogant of the lot, I got pretty crazy over them to make it stick – but I don't _permanently_ hurt someone."

She gazed at him. "When you came back after that time . . . there were times I heard you cry in your sleep. Was it because of what you saw there?" As he nodded, she sighed. "Well, much that I understand why you did it – Ōgi sure didn't look so tough after the news got out – I'm glad that you're still human underneath it all." She giggled. "I can't believe it! You, one of They Who Must Never Be Named – your past-self was involved in the Mother of All Fight Scenes! – and you're still _**you**_ underneath it all!" She then stopped. "The people here were _idiots_ to do that to you!"

"Oh, relax, Lum," he stated. "For the most part, they didn't fully understand what was going on. For those who _**did**_ understand, once I got my memories back, I asked Doctor Death to permanently deal with them. The survivors won't try to come back to hurt me anew; I intend to be long gone from Tomobiki before they get bit by THAT bug again." As she giggled, he then sighed. "As for Baka Kā-san and Baka Tō-san, they'll be left with an empty home and no means to fill it up again. Miyake . . . " A shake of the head. "I won't consider her a friend anymore, Lum. That's saying a lot from me."

"You want me to go there with you, don't you?"

He smirked. "Do you blame me?"

Lum seemed to glow with delight on hearing that admission from him. While there was still the deep fear she felt for That Place, it was now suppressed by the admission of Ataru's own concern for her . . . and her learning the truth of the story concerning her distant ancestor, Redet Danu, when she "disappeared" after the Tag Race launched by the old Urusian Empire against the people of That Place. That she had ALSO found love with her former Tag Race opponent made Lum feel happy for her kinsman from over two centuries ago. And given that Ataru – who, as Coyote, was one of the more powerful of Them – wanted her to be on That World where she would be SAFE in his eyes . . .!

"Would they like me?" she then asked. "Your friends there?"

"Well, since all my true friends are all Terran-born, they'll accept you much more than the natives. Once you get your own Gift – even if you are a technically a meta thanks to your powers – they won't blink an eye." He then gave her a wry smile. "But I can't FORCE you to take a Gift, Lum. That goes against everything I believe in. You want to know why I don't tag your horns and make it a proper marriage between us?" As she gasped, he reached down to squeeze her hand. "That's _**trapping**_ you into something you may not be ready for in my mind, Lum. I can't do that to you. Never to you."

Lum's eyes teared. "Darling no baka . . .!"

She slumped into his embrace as she started to cry. He held her close as his own eyes teared, staying silent and still as she wept for joy . . .

* * *

Outside the closed door of Lum's bedroom, a misty-eyed Ten could only smile.

"Guess the Scary People aren't so scary . . . "

And with that, he headed off to his own guest bedroom to sleep . . .

* * *

_Somewhere near Onishuto on Uru, ten years ago . . ._

_A wailing cry echoed through the Terrible Swamps._

_It was the sound of a child who had her innocence taken away totally._

_Someone who – at the young age of six – just learned what sort of real monsters there were in the vast Universe beyond her own world._

_Someone who would never have a normal life again._

_A girl who had been crippled for something she simply didn't understand._

_A girl . . ._

_"Hey! Ayumu-chan! Can you see who's crying?"_

_As the shuddering Lum perked on hearing that strangely-accented voice, she then blinked on hearing a girl call back in a voice that sounded almost Urusian. "Nah! I can't see her, Ataru-chan! Hey!" she then called out. "Who's crying? Are you okay?"_

_Lum sniffed, and then she looked over . . ._

_. . . as a girl her age that looked almost Fukunokami – save for normal ears one would find on an Ellsian or a Noukiite – walked out from behind a big tree. As she looked around, she then stopped on seeing the wet-cheeked Oni warlord's child seated on the ground near another big tree, dressed in her normal tiger-striped pinafore dress. On seeing here, the newcomer then walked over to stand close to her. "Hey! You see a girl who's been crying really bad?" she then asked, and then she blinked on noting the fresh tears welling in Lum's green eyes. "Hey! How come you're crying?"_

_"I think she's the girl we sensed all the way back from the cabin, Ayumu-chan."_

_Lum turned . . . and then blinked on seeing a boy the same age as the girl who just approached her. He was also Fukunokami-like – with Noukiite-type ears – with brown hair and brown eyes on a rather plain face. Noting that the girl that had just come up to her also had brown hair and eyes, Lum then sniffed. "Are you siblings?"_

_"Well, we could be," the girl answered. "But Ataru-chan had to leave home because his parents were total dorks. My parents are back on Earth. So why're you crying?"_

_Lum blinked – thought a small part of her was surprised to realise these two children were _Terrans_; far as she knew, the nations of Earth couldn't send people beyond the orbit of the Moon in manned ships – and then she began to weep as she pointed at her neck. The newcomers looked . . . and then they gaped on seeing the black collar around her neck with the small power unit there, an ominous red light flashing right under the Oni's chin. "A _**power-dampener**_? Who the heck put _that_ on you?" the boy then asked as he reached over to jab his index finger into the metal of the collar._

_Lum then gasped as the collar broke into two pieces and fell off to the ground beside her. She then looked to both sides of her to see the shattered sections of the collar that had just wrecked her life on the ground. Remembering what she had learned in galactic kindergarten concerning the use of power-dampeners on an Oni child, Lum then blinked as fresh tears appeared in her eyes, and then she started to cry again._

_The newcomers blinked, and then the girl peered intently for a moment as her eyes glowed slightly. After a minute, she then nodded. "Oh, I get it!" As the boy looked at her, she said, "Some real meanie put a power-dampener on Lum-chan here to take her powers away," she said in a voice that spoke of a strange level of maturity that made Lum stop as she stared in confusion at her. "'Cause her powers haven't had the chance to mature properly, she can't fly and can't hit people with electricity."_

_The boy hummed. "Taking a Gift away? Only Oblivion has the right to do that!" He then stared at Lum. "Hey, Lum-chan! Did some guy dressed in a black uniform like mine and having a black symbol like Ayumu-chan's got on her . . . " He then stopped. "Hey, wait a minute! Oblivion wouldn't use a power-dampener! He IS a power-dampener!"_

_"What do we do?" the girl asked._

_"Can you zap her with an Infinite Wave?"_

_The girl hummed, and then she reached over to tap Lum's arm. The Oni gasped as _SOMETHING_ powerful surged through her body from that contact, making her body then spark as just-suppressed bio-electrical powers flared back to full strength and she was able to leap into the air and float there. "I can fly!" she yelped as she started to zip around the tree as fast as a six year-old girl from Uru could go._

_The two newcomers nodded in delight . . ._

* * *

Lum then gasped as her eyes snapped open.

Finding herself in the darkened space of her ship's bedroom – the only light visible to her being the morning sun creeping through a porthole and the small lamp on a nearby nightstand overlooking the small shrine she had to the Maidens of Aruka, Uru's greatest heroes – she then blinked before her body started to sense anew the warm presence now sharing her bed. Turning to gaze on the sleeping face of the man she loved with all her heart and soul, Lum smiled as she felt her heart flutter on noting how innocent Ataru looked there. She then took a deep breath as she closed her own eyes as she moved to lean her head against his, allowing fatigue to take her anew.

But sleep wouldn't come now, not after THAT dream . . .

No.

It was a memory she had long forgot.

The memory of the worst day of her life.

The day some creepy old man slapped a power-dampener on her.

Had not Ataru and his friend showed up from That Place right afterward, Lum would have been crippled – in Oni eyes – for the rest of her life.

If people who couldn't walk on Earth had it bad . . .

. . . people who couldn't FLY on URU had it much worse.

But Moroboshi Ataru and Kasuga Ayumu – whom Lum realised was the current Infinity – had dealt with that. One zap of the Infinite Wave – supposedly said to be an application of the primal force that unleashed the Big Bang over thirteen billion years ago – and Lum had her powers back at the same strength she had before that creepy old guy tried to take them away. Of course, even if Lum had reacted as people normally did on realising both her rescuers were two of THEM, she couldn't really be scared of two KIDS her age . . . especially when those selfsame kids had made sure her life following that day would be as normal as possible for the daughter of a senior Oni warlord on Uru.

_Why didn't I remember meeting Darling all those years ago . . .?_

"Lot of things have happened in your life since that time, Lum."

She blinked, and then looked over to see Ataru gazing knowingly at her. Lum blinked before nodding. "Yeah . . . " She then hummed. "I wonder who he was . . . "

"Most likely, Ganzo dai-Louc," he noted as he moved to sit up in the bed, helping her sit up beside him. "After all, if I recall local galactic events properly, you saved Ōgi from the Terrible Swamps – not too far from where Ayumu-chan and I found you – about a half-year before we met. The Great Awakening for the 'church' named after you was underway at that time. And since he was fighting for something that he felt was more important than his own life, he was prepared to do anything to hurt his people as badly as possible. De-railing a Great Awakening would do just that."

She gazed at him. "Have you ever met him?"

"Four months ago," he answered. "Turns out a hundred years ago – just after he graduated from university – Ganzo and a bunch of his friends found a buried bioroid factory unit on Phentax Twelve. It was left there by the Sagussans – the race that was on the planet before the people you call the 'Maidens of the Eternal Voyager' went to live there – as part of some idiot social experiment." As Lum gaped, he added, "The thing could only create female bioroids – as organic as you or me – so the Niphentaxians decided to make use of them as chattel slaves, mostly in the love doll role." As a horrified gasp escaped Lum, Ataru then smirked. "Pity that in the years since that discovery, the Avalonians – that's what the bioroids call themselves as a race – were allowed to become the slave artisans of the whole Union of Phentax Two. When we took them all away four months ago after stealing their factory . . . "

Lum gaped. "You totally crippled their _**whole economy**_!"

"Right," he drawled. "Right now, they're no doubt moving from the Den'sha system – an old Sagussan starship factory satellite and some old ships had been abandoned there – to claim thirty star systems to the galactic west of Earth and five on the east side. There are over two billion Avalonians alive now, Lum. They need places to live."

The Oni blinked, and then she gave him a knowing look. "Pretty girls?"

A wink. "Didn't meet an ugly one when I helped break them free!"

She then laughed . . . and then gasped as a cry of fright echoed from the pilotage. "_**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! LUM-CHAN! ATARU! HELP! SOMEONE'S GOT ME!**_"

"Ten-chan!" Lum screamed as she soared out of bed and raced out of the bedroom . . .

. . . only to stop on seeing a pretty Western girl with wavy dark brown hair reaching past her shoulders seated at the pilotage chair, her arms holding a struggling Ten in her lap. She had beautiful blue eyes on a finely sculptured face, said eyes misty as she gazed down at the squirming Oni child in her lap. On noticing her jumpsuit – a halter-top capped with a turtleneck collar, skin-tight pants flowing into buccaneer boots, the suit itself a dark grey shade with black handcuffs on her breasts, black belt around her waist and black boots on her feet – Ataru quickly realised she was the current incarnation of the Queen of Traps, _**Manacle**_. But for the life of him . . .

"I was the one who got her Gifted, Ataru," a voice tinged with guilt then declared.

Lum gazed at the doorway to the kitchenette, where a tomboyish girl had just stepped out, carrying a tray of snacks in one hand and a tray with steaming cups of liquid in the other. On seeing her, Ataru then relaxed on recognising one of the girls he had helped to get a Gift: Molly Hecht from Sweet Valley, who these days was the current incarnation of the Mistress of Pain and Pleasure, the _**Dominatrix**_. Dressed in her normal silver-trimmed black leather racing pants with a black leather vest chained down with silver chains over her bra-less cleavage and silver buccaneer boots, the beautiful girl with the centre-parted silver-blonde hair and green eyes looked ready to break down and weep now that she was standing in the presence of the man who had changed her life so much two years before. On noting that, Ataru then sighed as his own senses picked up what was emanating from Molly's soul, and then he walked over to gently take the trays from the other girl's hand, holding them out so Lum could take hold of them.

"You FORCED a GIFT on her?" he then demanded, pointing at the current Manacle.

Molly sniffed as her eyes teared. "She nearly _died_ on me, Ataru!"

Lum gasped, though she had been able to put the trays down before she dropped them. Ataru gazed once more on the stranger, and then he sighed. "What happened?"

"Party at my place three months ago," Molly confessed. "I still hang out with people like Justin Belson and that crowd, Ataru. I won't apologise for that even if some of them are total lost causes." A sigh. "This is Regina Morrow." She waved to the current incarnation of the Queen of Traps. "She and her brother moved into the Valley about two months before you nearly got married to that Elle bitch."

"Molly, don't swear."

Molly jerked on hearing Regina's calm, quiet voice, and then she sighed. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Regina," Ataru said as he gracefully bowed to her, which made her look at him before she nodded her head in return. "The good young fellow in your arms at this time is Redet Jariten; he prefers to be called 'Ten.' And this vision of loveliness whose ship we're now standing on is Ten's cousin and the second girl listed in my Book of Pretty Girls, Redet Lum." As Lum tried not to turn as red as a cherry at that blatant compliment he just gave her, Ataru then said, "Lum, Jariten, you've just been introduced to a pretty girl of a town FULL of pretty girls named Sweet Valley; it's not too far from Los Angeles. And this one here is Molly Hecht; I saved her two years ago from becoming permanently addicted to crack cocaine." He waved to the Mistress of Pain and Pleasure in emphasis, who meekly nodded in turn.

"Ataru, please don't punish her," Regina then pleaded. "Molly's punishing herself bad enough. It was a bad judgement call on my part that got me into a party at her place with drugs and booze quite openly available at the time. I didn't react well to the cocaine when people urged me to take it and I was pretty intoxicated at the time. Molly had doped herself up on those synthetic drugs that made her seem normal to other people, so she wasn't in control of herself when she took me to the Cave of the Future."

"She was dating Bruce Patman at the time," Molly added. "He then started two-timing her with Amy Sutton. She and Justin came together on the rebound and I . . . "

She lowered her head in shame. Ataru took a deep breath. "Molly, we may be adopted members of a society that has few rules to govern it, but you crossed the one line we NEVER cross!" he said as he glared at her. "That would be something _Destructo_ would do!" As Molly and Regina both gasped on hearing that name, he then stopped before he breathed out as he moved to draw the crying girl into his arms, kissing her forehead tenderly. "Sorry about that," he said as Molly gazed up at him. "We had something of a bad incident here yesterday afternoon. A counterpart of mine from another dimension – one who was turned into a Battle Doll by Destructo – came here."

Silence.

"Darling . . .!" Lum gasped. "Was that the girl who attacked me?"

"Yeah," he said as he stared at her. "She comes from six months ahead of us time-wise. In her universe – when she was still a man, having NEVER had any contact with Yiziba before – that Ataru found himself feeling backed into a corner thanks to a rather bad break-up between him and his Lum. A Tag Race resulted from that. Put simply, on the night of the fifth day of the race, the one member of MY adopted race we ALL fear emerging from the Crystal came to him with an offer. And because the Benten of that universe overreacted and nearly killed that Ataru, Destructo ensured he would become a Battle Doll with Infinity's help . . . and that ultimately resulted in the sequel to the Mother of All Fight Scenes. For the Urusians AND the Niphentaxians."

Lum and Ten both gulped on hearing that, and then the latter blinked. "Um, Ataru?"

"Yeah?"

"What's a Battle Doll?"

"You know Shogai Dakejinzō?"

A nod. "Yeah!"

"Think of someone like her with _Rampage_'s powers. You'll get the idea then."

Ten gulped again as Lum nearly sank to her knees . . .

_**To be continued . . .**_

* * *

**WRITER'S NOTES:**

1) The **Niphentaxians**, a race I created for _The Senior Year_, are a race of mimics similar to the Iotians in the classic _Star Trek_ episode "A Piece of the Action." Their first appearance was in the _TSY_ story "What Price for Love?" and I've used them as antagonists in various works. They're humanoid save for tapered ears. Unlike the Iotians, the Niphentaxians tend to slant their adopting of other people's cultures, technology and social customs with a very strong religious slant, hence things like the **Church of Lum**. This all came about because of a young Lum rescuing the future founder of the Church and later president of Phentax Two, **Ōgi**, from being nearly scared to death by one of the monsters living in the **Terrible Swamps** close to Lum's family home outside the capital city of Uru, Onishuto.

2) The story of the **Old Lady of the Oak Forest**, **Rū** and his governess **Laila** was depicted in the third _Yatsura_ movie, _Remember My Love_. Of course, the events of this movie also played a rather large factor into events in "What Price for Love?" and the fate of the Niphentaxian colony on **Phentax Twelve**, where the bioroid factory (as Ataru reveals to Lum above) which creates the **Avalonians** was located before its liberation.

3) **Lumukyō** is the capital city of Phentax Two. Before the rise of the Church of Lum, it was known as "New Hollywood." The Great Lum Church – an exact replica of Tomobiki High School – is located in the very centre of town.

4) In _The Senior Year_, I had Oyuki's race actually inhabit Neptune's largest moon, **Triton**, in lieu of inhabiting Neptune itself. This was because of another race of antagonists that I created for the series, the **Seifukusu** (a race of blue-skinned humanoids). Due to Triton's constant absorption of various gasses from Neptune and conversion of them into lots of snow, the **Central Warp Chamber** (a gift from the modern Sagussans) was presented to Oyuki's people a thousand years ago. To threaten to take the Warp Chamber away from the Neptunians would be a horrible thing to do indeed.

5) The **Ipraedies** are the other major antagonist race in _The Senior Year_. My friend and the co-creator of the series, Mike Smith, created them.

6) Translation: **Shin-shishihōkōdan** – Perfect Lion's Roar Shot.

7) The **Kant****ō Magical Association** was introduced in _Mahō Sensei Negima_. It is the government body over magicals living in that part of Japan. The proper name of the organisation, as I see it, is "**His Imperial Majesty's Magical Commandery of Kantō**."

8) The _Sweet Valley High_ books first came out in 1983 and ceased publication twenty years later after 152 books in the main series. Created by **Francine Pascal** and written by a ghost team operating under the name "Kate William," it was the first of a wave of novels specifically targeting young audiences since the _Hardy Boys_ and _Nancy Drew_ novels were created by Edward Stratemeyer (written under the names "Franklin W. Dixon" and "Carolyn Keene") in the 1920s and 1930s. Having gone to a military all-boy's private school from 1980-84 (Grades 9-12) and having NEVER experienced normal high school life, I was a convert to the series, though I stopped collecting it some years later. The whole of _SVH_ and its companion series, for those unaware of it, centres on two southern California sixteen year-old twins, **Elizabeth **and **Jessica Wakefield**, though a massive cast of characters was introduced over the years. Two of them were **Regina Morrow** (first introduced in book #14, _Deceptions_) and **Molly Hecht** (first introduced in book #39, _On The Edge_, where Regina herself died). The incident Molly reflects on to Ataru above is actually an altered version of the events depicted in _On The Edge_.

9) **Ganzo dai-Louc** is my take-off on **John Brown**, the radical American abolitionist from the 1850s that was one of the main instigators of the Civil War. He is first introduced here at the website in _Phoenix From the Ashes_.

10) **Shogai Dakejinzō** is the cat-like synthezoid bounty hunter adopted by the future president of Fukunokami that I created as an equivalent to **Nassur** (created by Mike Smith) for _The Senior Year_. She first appeared in the story "Arrive Reiko-chan."

* * *

**The Book of Pretty Girls**_**, Entry 532:**_

**_RAMPAGE_  
The Charging Belle of the Heavens**

**Generation:** 27th  
**Age at Gifting:** 11 years, 1 month

**Real Name:** Jessica Kathryn WAKEFIELD  
**Relatives:** Edward Philip "Ned" WAKEFIELD (_father_), Alice Elaine WAKEFIELD (_née_ LARSON) (_mother_), Steven Kent WAKEFIELD (_older brother_), Elizabeth Francine WAKEFIELD (_elder twin sister; the **Academician**, listed in _The Book of Pretty Girls_, Entry 531_)  
**Affiliation:** Self, self's family, the Boosters of Sweet Valley, **Coyote** (_see Entry 0_)  
**Base of Operations:** Town and Municipality of Sweet Valley, Santa Barbara County, State of California, United States of America  
**Alignment:** Face/Neutral  
**Identity:** On Yiziba, publicly known; on Earth, known resident of Sweet Valley but her being a Yizibajohei is a top secret to the general public.  
**Race/Culture of Birth:** Terran/American  
**Place of Birth:** Town and Municipality of Sweet Valley, Santa Barbara County, State of California, United States of America  
**Gender:** Female  
**Height:** 168 cm (5' 6")  
**Weight:** 47.5 kg (105 lb)  
**Eyes:** Blue-green  
**Hair:** Blonde

**Gifts:  
_Metahuman Strength, Toughness and Physical Invulnerability:_** Rampage is one of the top FISS-type metas of Yiziba. In Earth gravity, she can dead-lift ten thousand tonnes with one arm without any risk to the integrity of her body. Because of such power, she can resist anything up to the direct on-skin impact of either thermonuclear or anti-matter weapons up to the explosive power of 4.2 exajoules of energy (equivalent to one gigatonne of TNT exploding all at once). She has the ability to survive in all forms of atmosphere (including airless space) for hours without the need to replenish her body with oxygen. As an extension of same, she cannot be poisoned by any normal means and can ingest most forms of solids or liquids save for anything based on Grade Three mesonium ("ebony meson"). Unlike some other FISS-type metas on Yiziba, Rampage has no defence against magical or psionic attacks beyond sheer willpower alone.  
**_Flight:_** Rampage has the ability to fly at hypersonic speeds in atmosphere, just above sonic speeds while in a liquid medium like water and a quarter of the speed of light in space. She has no ability to warp herself between solar systems without aide.  
**_Enhanced Physical Senses:_** Rampage's physical senses are quite acute as an extension of her physical abilities. She can see with accuracy out to about ten kilometres from her person in atmosphere. She can hear even minute sounds from dozens of metres away. She can smell even faint traces of odour up to several hours since the scent was first created. Her taste buds are quite sensitive to even minute changes of flavour. And her skin is quite sensitive to the touch of even minute animals such as fleas. Thanks to the memories of her past-selves, Rampage can discipline herself to negate the input of such sensations upon her mind via a form of self-meditation.  
**_Light Energy Photosynthesis:_** Rampage's whole body is a light energy collector which fuels her power. As long as she is exposed to any sort of light, even artificial sources such as a flashlight, Rampage's body can convert the energy to enhance her strength. Since she has never entered a totally-dark situation since her Gifting, Rampage has never seen any significant loss of personal power.

**Personality:**

About the Wakefield twins, this has often been said: Elizabeth was born four minutes before Jessica . . . but in some sense of the terms, Elizabeth is at least FOUR YEARS older emotionally! And if shows in the way they behave and how they view life.

In effect, the current Rampage is a female equivalent to Coyote: A party girl from California who lives life for the moment and doesn't care about long-term things. She is quite infamously disorganised to a degree that makes her sister pull her hair out every time things go out of control, switches interests and passions with the speed one might flip pages in a book, falls in and out of love with boys of her peer group with disturbing regularity and bends to the will of the crowd without stopping to pause and think about what her actions might do to other people. And while there have been times when Jessica has hurt other people (for example, she helped blackball schoolmate Robin Wilson from joining the Sweet Valley chapter of the Pi Beta Alpha sorority due to the latter's obesity, which drove the latter into nearly starving herself to trim down; fortunately for Robin, Coyote would later come along and help her become the current **Gulfstream**, _see Entry 1003_), she does learn from her mistakes and does move to give restitution to those she has erroneously wronged.

Usually, such normally happens when Rampage's sister shows her the truth of things.

While as the Charging Belle of the Heavens, Rampage has often hovered over the line between face and heel – as shown in her line-name – this current incarnation has done her best to do proper "superheroine" things . . . and this is from a woman who would consider it beyond embarrassing to be caught reading North American superhero comics! One of her signature moves is her "patented 'Hulk manoeuvre'" that allows her to create a concentrated sonic boom by clapping her hands at supersonic speeds, shattering anything fragile within close range of her and knocking anyone not expecting this coming right off their feet if not several metres back from her. She used this once shortly after her Gifting to literally blow down a tsunami that was racing for the coast of Indonesia that – if such ever hit – would have killed thousands. Of course, while her actions remain quite unknown to people on Earth today, Rampage got her first-ever kiss with a boy from Coyote for "doing the right thing" and saving people who didn't deserve to be hurt. Because of that, Rampage sees herself as a true face in this incarnation.

Rampage is quite protective of her family and friends. Threaten them – especially the Academician! – and the one so stupid to do something like that is on his/her way to the hurt locker once she gets her hands on them. She was quite incensed over what happened to Coyote thanks to the Men In Black; hadn't the Academician called her off, she would have flown to the MIBs' headquarters in New York City and ripped the place right out to dump them all into the mid-Atlantic for their hurting her friend like that. She – while respecting "traditional American values" like family and marriage; Jessica is quite liberal in outlook as she IS a Californian whose parents grew up during the Age of Aquarius – understands that Coyote has NOT had any sort of normal childhood since his own Gifting, so she has a special hatred for those in Tomobiki who have abused Moroboshi Ataru in the past. Fortunately for Coyote's estranged parents and former girlfriend Miyake Shinobu, it has been Ataru's own intervention on times that has kept Jessica from turning heel and permanently hurting them.

Because of the 15th Rampage's coming together with the Oni-Urusian noblewoman Redet Danu (who later became the 18th Tempest), Jessica holds a very strong fascination for Coyote's would-be wife Redet Lum (_see Entry 2_). While she does understand Lum's desire to spend the rest of her life with Moroboshi Ataru as her life-mate, there is a hint of the powerful love that her past-self once felt for Lum's own ancestor . . . which often ends up haunting Jessica's sleep time with very naughty dreams about having wonderful pillow scenes with both a Gifted Lum – whom Jessica hopes will become the new Tempest – and Coyote at the very same time. Due to that, Rampage was more than happy to help out in the destruction of Phentax Twelve and the liberation of the Avalonians; she learned from **Soul Searcher** (_see Entry 337_) that Lum utterly despises her "most faithful" and saw the destruction of one of their colony worlds as a way to present a better image of herself to Lum on the day they would meet; it was the 15th Rampage who had instigated the infamous "Mother of All Fight Scenes" on the old Urusian Empire 250 years ago and that incarnation of the Charging Beau of the Heavens is often the face of true terror in the eyes of many natives of that world even to this very day.

In this incarnation, Rampage is a member of the collective group of metas living in Sweet Valley; as an unofficial team, they call themselves the "**_Boosters of Sweet Valley_**" in honour of the elementary school cheerleading team that Jessica and many of her friends were a part of at the time of their mass Gifting thanks to Coyote six years ago. Even though she was never part of the original Boosters, Rampage's twin sister is seen as the leader of the group and the unofficial leader of all Terrans-turned-Yizibajohei living today in North America. Rampage herself is seen as the second-in-command of the Boosters.


	3. The Great Sage of the Circle of Thought

Some minutes later . . .

"So in that universe, the version of me there met up with a 'fiancé' she never knew she had, then he did something to make the version of you – Tariko now – believe that Lum was turning her back on him forever. And then thanks to this fiancé's would-be lover, an ecological disaster was unleashed on Earth. That Lum took advantage of that to make that version of you, Darling, admit his love for her in public. Which he wouldn't do."

Ataru nodded as he enjoyed the hot spring water – it had surprised the two Oni that Yizibajohei considered _spring water_ without turning it into tea or coffee a morning pick-me-up – which Molly had prepared for them all. "And when it all looked hopeless, Destructo came along and gave him an offer. But since that Lum had bugs all over the bedroom, she knew then and there that one of 'They Who Must Never Be Named' was in town and ready to ruin the Tag Race." He winked at her as Lum blushed on realising that Ataru had always known of her bugging his clothes over the last year . . . though he clearly hadn't minded that sort of thing as it was, in its own odd way, an expression of her love and concern for his safety even if some would also call it a gross violation of his private space. "Benten sadly jumped the gun . . . but because she's rather atrocious when it comes to using her weapons, she got that Ataru . . . "

"And that Ataru became Tariko," Molly concluded.

Lum breathed out. "_Tcha_ . . . no wonder she was mad at me when she came here yesterday! Seeing me try to electrocute you . . .!"

Regina nodded. "It would be seen by some people who don't understand the whole story as an alien monster attacking a local boy without provocation."

Ten was in her lap enjoying his own cup of water; Molly had put a sugar cube into it to sweeten it, and then squeezed the citrus juice from a lemon to give it a little taste. "Ataru, where's Tariko-nēchan now?" he then wondered.

"She's currently at Hogwarts, the primary wand-wizarding academy in the United Kingdom; it's up in the Scottish highlands," Ataru answered. "A friend of mine from there, Hermione Granger – the Thaumaturge – took her there after I got the whole story from her so Tariko could be given some magical healing treatments to recover from all the trauma she's been through over the last six months in her timeline." As the others nodded, he then added, "I'll try to persuade her to take a Gift and become fully organic; if the Infinity of that dimension wasn't thinking straight when he sent her here, she'll be automatically phased back to that dimension one Earth year from her arrival."

"Well, at least you'll get a REAL family this time," Molly noted.

Lum blinked, and then she nodded before reaching over to pluck one of the breaded hot dog bits Molly made for everyone from the tray. The Oni got theirs sprinkled with red chilli pepper powder to spice up the taste; the Terrans-turned-Yizibajohei took them plain. "Yeah, that's true, isn't it? I never really sat back and thought about how little Darling's parents really care for him." She shrugged. "Well, if that's the way they want it, tough luck! My parents would have never made any sort of deal with them if they were hiding what you really were, Darling, from them in some hopes of keeping you under their clutches. Besides, they should've realised that dealing with what you are now wouldn't last forever. And when you did finally wake up to it . . . "

"Oh, I was tempted to sic Margo Black on them," Ataru noted. At the Oni's curious looks, he explained, "She's Doctor Death. The lady with a real _lethal_ touch!" As Ten snickered and Lum winced, he added, "But then again, to do that would require me to really HATE them, Lum. I don't hate them at all. In truth, I feel NOTHING for them. So I'm going to leave them now as I left them ten years ago. An empty house and no chance to get hold of what funds that were set aside for me by my grandmother and my uncle – Baka Tō-san's brother – for the rest of their lives. That's what Baka Kā-san fears most of all, Lum: To literally be left alone in her old age."

"Grow old and die alone," Molly then lamented. "Just like I intend to leave my mother when I finally graduate from school and head back to Yiziba."

The two Oni winced lightly on hearing that name, but they didn't scream out in fear. Noting that, Ataru could only smile as his eyes danced over his would-be wife's slender yet shapely body and beautifully-sculptured face. Part of the reason he found Lum so attractive in the first place was her willingness to think "out of the box" in comparison to the rest of her species. Unlike Ten – who always did things that showed how alien he was – Lum had done all she could to try to fit in with her peers, both inside and outside Tomobiki High School. Ever since the episode when she pretended to be "Nobade Shinobi" as a way to nail Mendō Shūtarō about eleven months ago, Lum often dressed in Earth clothing, always was curious about Earth things and did her best to live her life as a native of Earth. Oh, there were the times her alien nature did come out in full force, but that was understandable; being able to fly and shoot lightning from her body was as natural to Redet Lum as breathing. The only other alien who had come to Earth and done her best to fit in with the crowd was Lum's friend/rival Aruka Ran. But given Ran's many emotional issues and her overwhelming fear that Lum would "take back" her former fiancé Seq Rei – a man Lum utterly _despised_ these days due to his idiocy and complete enslavement to his own stomach – Ataru would wait for a while before popping the offer for a free trip to the Cave of the Future to Ran.

Lum, however . . .

"What's so funny?" Lum then asked.

He sighed. "Wishful thinking, Lum."

Surprised at THAT answer, she blinked. "You really want me to become like you."

Ten gasped . . . and then he stopped as he hummed. "What is it?" Regina asked.

The young Oni blinked before he gazed at Ataru. "Will she be Tempest?"

"That depends on her," the older man answered.

"What do you mean?"

A sigh. "Regina, when you went into the Crystal, how many different Gifts did the Crystal present to you for your choice?" Ataru then asked.

"About a dozen," Regina answered. "I have to admit, being plunged into the Crystal is the best hangover medicine there is in the Universe!" As Lum giggled on hearing that and Molly blushed, she added, "But after I was able to think through what happened to me and what prompted Molly to get me to Yiziba in the first place, I decided I wanted to be as much in control over my life and surroundings as I could be. Manacle gives me that power." At Ten's curious look, she added, "I'm a psychokinetic. I can use my mind to hold down anything human-sized up to the power of Infinity herself."

"Oh!" he breathed out.

"So if Lum does become like me, she'll get a choice of Gifts," Ataru finished. "I'll bet that Tempest – as she does not exist in the current generation – will be one of them. There's the racial bond and the family bond between Lum and Danu. And – if I may be so bold as to admit it – the emotional impetus as well. Danu became Tempest so she could live the rest of her life with the Rampage at the time. Lum . . . "

"I want you," Lum finished.

"Yeah."

The Oni then sighed. "Molly-san?"

"Yeah?" Molly asked as she looked over.

"Do you love Darling?"

"Of course I do," the silvery blonde answered with all honesty. "The guy literally _**saved my life**_ two years ago. Why wouldn't I want to love him?" A sigh. "But unlike me, he doesn't really _have_ a life on Earth. I still do. Even the ones who were gifted at the beginning like Kasuga Ayumu have lives here on Earth. He really doesn't." A smirk as she gazed on Ataru. "For the man who is the current incarnation of Yiziba's version of Bugs Bunny, he lives like a damned _**monk**_ in that cabin of his. He's been alone since the girl that brought him to Yiziba died a year afterward."

"I think – from what I've learned from others who've been Gifted as well – it would be of great relief to a lot of people if someone lived with him full-time," Regina added.

Lum then blushed as the younger daughter of Sweet Valley's third richest family gave her a knowing look . . . and then she blinked. "Bugs Bunny, eh?" she asked.

"Well, I must admit that noble fellow does inspire me in many ways," Ataru noted.

His would-be wife stared at him, and then she laughed. "YOU'RE THE GENDOMORPH!"

Ataru smirked . . .

. . . and then, in a flash of light, transformed into a VERY beautiful female version of himself with hair the length of Regina's and just a slight touch of makeup on her face. Much to Ten's surprise, the jumpsuit Ataru had been wearing morphed with him/her into the halter-top-and-form fitting pants format that Regina had. As Ten gasped on seeing how PRETTY the transformed Ataru was – even Lum had to admit that the neo-girl was sexy – the current incarnation of the Trickster of the Show winked. "What do you think?" she asked in a sultry version of Tariko's voice. "Who guessed it out?"

"The friend I asked to come to school to judge the talent contest we had one day in class!" Lum said as she snickered. "I thought you were just cross-dressing! When he told my parents that he was surprised to note there was a real _gendomorph_ as one of my classmates, I actually thought he was talking about _**Ryūnosuke**_!"

"No, not Ryū-chan! She's Carcajou – you'd know her as Tolose – not Coyote."

Silence.

"Ryūnosuke's GIFTED?" Lum gasped.

"Her seventh birthday present," Ataru admitted.

Lum blinked, and then she roared with laughter . . .

* * *

Tomobiki High School, a half-hour later . . .

"Hey! Did you hear about Lum-chan?"

"Yeah! I heard! I heard! Some crazy chick ATTACKED her!"

"EH? Was Lum-chan hurt?"

"Nah, she got over it quick! But get this: The chick was defending ATARU!"

"_**WHAT?**_"

"Is it that Elle girl that came by six months ago?"

"No! According to what I heard, this chick looks like Ataru's own TWIN SISTER!"

"Ataru doesn't _**have**_ a twin sister!"

"She sure looked like it! And she can do KI BLASTS!"

"Like Saotome Ranma over in Nerima can?"

"Yeah! She caught Lum-chan trying to zap Ataru when he was hitting on a girl! Burned her seifuku right off her! And then she and Ataru walked away, leaving Lum-chan on the streets unconscious for Sakura-sensei to pick up later!"

"_**WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?**_"

"Holy shit! If the Stormtroopers find out, they'll freak!"

"They already know! So does Mendō! But . . . eh?"

"What?"

"LOOK THERE!"

Heads snapped around . . .

. . . and then jaws dropped in stunned shock as a regal-looking yet tomboyish woman in a VERY formal kimono slowly made her way through the front gate of Tomobiki High School, accompanied by Lum in her seifuku. Right behind them were two stern-looking women dressed like Mendō Shūtarō's own Kuromegane servants in business suits and slacks, right down to the tinted Ray Bans over their eyes. As the bodyguards looked sternly at the students, making many wilt as they slowly backed away from such vicious-looking people, the small quartet headed up the central walkway to the front doors.

As the onlookers' eyes then turned back to the Oni warlord's daughter as she proceeded up the walkway, everyone was quick to notice several things.

_**One**_: She was in the prime of health, which made all the boys who privately lusted for her breathe out in relief that their favourite schoolmate was unhurt.

_**Two**_: She seemed very happy about something, which made the boys happy and the girls curious; given their belief that if Ataru finally got rid of Lum, she would then go after Mendō, the girls (who all lusted after him) had cause to be concerned.

_**Three**_: She clearly didn't mind that she was currently accompanying a girl who fit the description of the woman who had attacked and so badly wounded Lum the previous afternoon . . . and in the defence of _Moroboshi Ataru_ of all people!

That last point had everyone blinking in confusion.

Of course, if any of them were psychic . . .

* * *

«_I can't believe you're doing this, Darling!_» Lum telepathically thought out.

The transformed Ataru tried not to smile. «_Lum, I've intended to ram this sort of thing down the throats of idiots like Mendō and Megane for months now. Besides, what are you complaining about? Even if you do see them as friends, you've been pretty pissed off whenever Sword-for-Brains and the lea__der of your so-called 'Stormtroopers' got fresh with you in the past, right?_» At Lum's mental nod, Ataru then added, «_That's the reason you could _never_ love them. They remind you of a certain moron on a planet fifty light-years away from here, right?_» As the Oni tried not to groan on being reminded of HIM, Ataru then added, «_So sit back and watch people's dreams get wrecked. Besides, we'll have to wait for your other 'fiancé' to show up as soon as Liz and Jess let him come down, so let's get the riff-raff out of the way first, okay?_»

A subtle nod. "_Tcha_!"

"Lum-san!"

Before Lum could turn as Mendō Shūtarō – who had poised himself near the front gate to be ready to ambush his hated rival when he came in – moved to confront her, Molly then slid into the way, snaring the man's sheathed sword with one hand and backhanding him across the cheek with the other. Fortunately for the scion of Japan's wealthiest family, the current incarnation of one of Yiziba's strongest heels/anti-faces was holding back her true strength. As Mendō was knocked to the ground by the blow, all the girls gasped in horror at the sight of their most favourite student laid low.

By then, the woman beside Lum had stopped to glare DOWN at the fallen Mendō. "Ah, yes," she said in a voice that _**reeked**_ with upper-class snobbery. "The _merchant's brat_ who deems himself above his commoner classmates." As Mendō croaked on that well-aimed insult delivered by this woman, she then asked, "What do you desire with our noble guest from another world, Young Master Shūtarō? To force yourself upon the Lady Lum's personal space like you've done numerous times in the past with her?"

Mendō blinked, and then he turned to gaze wide-eyed at the strange woman who looked so much like his hated rival . . . yet spoke with the same haughty tones his own mother Haruka used whenever she whispered something to him. "Who are you . . .?"

"I am Hana Tariko of Wakkanai, Matriarch of the Moroboshi of Mutsu-no-kuni, personal servant to the Son of Heaven himself, dolt!" the woman snarled, making all the students gasp on hearing this woman was not just the _matriarch_ of the Moroboshi family but that she was also a servant to the _**Heavenly Sovereign**_ himself. "I have come to this city to rescue my poor kinsman, Master Moroboshi Ataru, and his beloved friend, the Lady Redet Lum of the planet Uru, from this place . . . _**and from all of you**_." Her voice switched into a very respectful tone. "As so requested by the Heavenly Sovereign in his most honourable letter a humble warrior such I now bears to the principal of this school."

And with that, she showed the letter in her hand.

One sealed with the sixteen-pedal chrysanthemum of the Imperial House of Japan.

As Mendō turned grey with horror at the fact that he had tried to confront a woman now under the protection of the ONE person he dared NEVER cross, "Tariko" then gave him a wintry smile. One without any humour of it. "Much that I personally find your quite handsome to behold, Young Master Shūtarō, your abominable behaviour towards my poor, suffering kinsman over the last year makes me wonder if you are worthy to assume your loyal grandfather's place as Patriarch of your clan when you become of age." As he gargled, she added, "Still, we know of the plans to see you wed to the poor Young Mistress Mizunokōji Asuka to end the feud between your family and hers. If you show some proper decorum in the next while and vow NOT to stand in the way of the business to be done today, I might find it within myself to see to it that your pending wedding night with the Mistress Asuka doesn't end up with you being permanently PARALYZED!"

He gaped, surprised at such an offer. "Um . . . forgive me, Hana no Mae, but surely, Asuka-chan doesn't require such restrictions upon her person . . .!"

Tariko sighed. "Shūtarō-kun, given the way that _**abomination**_ Asuka-chan must call a mother raised her – without ANY clue whatsoever as to what men such as you are all about – do you really wish to place yourself in such a woman's embrace?" She sighed. "I agree, Ataru didn't help matters much with his own problems . . . but the root cause of Asuka-chan's androphobia is her mother's idiot faith in old family myths that did nothing but to make a poor child mortally afraid of HALF THE POPULATION OF THE PLANET! Those bimbos in the Kurotenshi haven't done anything to correct the issue; in many ways, they've made it _**worse**_! Tobimaro hasn't done anything about it either!" A shake of the head. "If I was a man and facing marrying a person like Asuka, I would immediately go over to Nerima and ask Master Happōsai for the secrets of the Ultimate Weakness Moxibustion." As Lum tried desperately to keep a straight face on hearing THAT from Tariko, the latter added, "Simple self-preservation demands no less." She smirked. "You really aught to think about it. Molly, give him his sword back."

"Hai," Molly said as the sword was passed over.

Mendō nodded his thanks, relieved that his personal weapon was undamaged by the gaijin guard's actions. As people began whispering to each other over what they had just heard, a familiar woman in a man's gakuran came out of the front doors of the school. Tariko looked over, and then she smiled. "Ah, Ryūnosuke-chan!" she said as she waved at Fujinami Ryūnosuke, who blinked, and then waved back. "How are you today?"

"Not too bad, Tariko!" the only "son" of the current owner of the Fujinami Hamachaya Tea Shop – which once stood on the Kujūkuri Beach near Chōshi until four months before when the owner and his only child were forced to decamp for Tomobiki High School – called back as she came over to exchange polite bows with the other woman. "Here to finally bust Lum and Ataru out of this zoo once and for all, eh?"

"Hai! Hopefully, you'll be free of this place as well."

"Well, once Oyaji learns that ghost he tried to get me engaged to has been exorcised out of the apartment, he'll probably see some reason," Ryūnosuke said as she winked at Tariko. _Thanks for sending Sarah-chan over to deal with Nagisa, Ataru_, she thought out, which Lum would also hear thanks to Tariko/Ataru. _I was right about him._

«_Right about what, Ryūnosuke?_» Lum asked.

_He was being made to spy on me by your so-called 'most faithful' since I could protect my diary from their sensor probes_, the woman who was the current incarnation of the Huntress of the Wild replied. _Sarah-chan – she's Cadaverine of the Young Guns – came by last night when Nagisa was 'asleep' to break that urchin's magic on his spirit. Woke up this morning with none of his fuckin' simperin' and trying to make breakfast for me!_ She tried not to make a face. _For a guy who worked in a teashop . . .!_

«_He was a totally pathetic cook,_» Tariko finished for her friend. «_Which doesn't surprise me. Look at what ultimately _killed_ him in the end?_»

Ryūnosuke roared with laughter, which made some of the people stare in confusion at her. "Private joke," Tariko then explained to the onlookers before she perked as an elderly school administrator walked out of the building. "Ah, Kōchō-sensei!"

"Ohayō, Tariko-kun," the Principal stated as he and Tariko exchanged bows. In one of his hands were two student files. With that, said files were handed over, the letter from the Imperial Palace handed back in return. "As His Majesty desires."

"You have our thanks for your understanding and assistance in this matter," Tariko replied as she handed the files to Regina. "I hope that with Ataru's and Lum's final departure from this school, things should calm down finally. In the meantime, we do not wish to cause any further disruptions, so we'll take our leave. Do excuse us, please." And with a polite bow, she turned and walked off.

Lum, Molly and Regina followed her off the property. "Do take care of yourselves," the Principal called out before he muttered at a volume only Ryūnosuke's sharp hearing could detect, "I hope you'll find peace back in your _true_ home, Ataru-kun."

"He'll be okay," Ryūnosuke whispered back. "Now if only Lum goes along with it."

"I'm sure she'll see the light in the matter, Ryūnosuke-kun."

The tomboy smirked . . .

* * *

Seconds after getting clear of the front gate, Tariko guided Lum and her friends from America down a side street to Rāmen Nekohanten. Bearing no relation to the Chinese-owned restaurant in Nerima with the same name, this was one of the more popular student hang-outs for those attending Tomobiki High School. Lum loved this place; the rāmen made here was often prepared with Korean koch'ujang sauce to spice it up. The shop was open at this time as it served a wide clientele. Immediately, all four girls – including one boy-turned-girl – took a booth near the main doors. After tea and tonkotsu rāmen – Ataru's favourite – were ordered, they relaxed. "So how soon will it be before the idiots in that place wake up to what just happened?" Molly asked.

Tariko smirked. "Well, give it . . . "

"_**LUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUM-SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN . . .!**_"

As wild screams echoed from the direction of the school, Regina winked. "Pity I put a psychokinetic shield around the school grounds to keep them trapped there for a while," she whispered, which made Lum laugh. "They aren't getting out soon."

More laughter. "Well, take it off before lunchtime," Tariko then advised. "Places like this do depend on the students' patronage for their profits."

"Good point."

"So was that real?" Lum asked.

"What?"

"The letter from the Emperor?"

A nod. "Yep. I met him a month after the whole business with Elle, just before you all got back to Earth from the hospital." As Lum nodded in understanding – she hadn't been hurt in the cathedral's collapse, but she had been forced to remain on Uru by her father to ensure she stayed safe from whatever-it-was that had hurt so many and kidnapped Lum's would-be husband – the transformed Ataru replied, "There really is a Moroboshi Clan of the Imperial Province of Mutsu. Descent from an illegitimate daughter of the Shōtoku Empress and her lover back in the eighth century. They formed part of a group called the 'Tenchiaiki Jūkazoku' that served the Emperor directly. My grandmother Nagaiwakai was the last Matriarch of the family." A sigh. "But when Tō-san decided he wanted to marry Kā-san – whom Obā-chan disapproved of – the family effectively flew apart. Kaeru's death added to the problems. And when I left for Yiziba, there was no visible heir of direct blood from Obā-chan to eventually marry to a nice girl so said girl could be made the new Matriarch and take over."

"That was probably why Ataru's parents tried to force the marriage between you two," Molly then noted before she perked as outraged screams echoed from Tomobiki High School. "Jailbreak attempt!" she mused. As the others laughed, she then sighed. "You were a victim of a bunch of greedy and selfish people, Lum. It's a good thing Ayumu stepped in when she did and put a stop to it. It allowed Ataru a chance to straighten things out with the Emperor, thus make sure you stayed safe as well."

"I told him everything," Tariko added. "Especially the Niphentaxians and what they did." As Lum winced, her transformed companion winked. "Relax. I made it clear to him that you had been pressured by your old man not to say a thing about Ōgi and his idiots. I promised him that as soon as I safely could, I'd get rid of the bomb. And if I had to, I could get all the aliens that have no business in this country out in the blink of an eye. He accepted that, but asked me something in return."

"What's that?" Lum asked.

Before an answer could come, the rāmen was then delivered. Once everyone had got hold of chop sticks to dig into the beefy broth, Tariko sighed. "He still wants someone to take over the clan. Obā-chan died a few years ago and Oji-chan can't have children. The only heirs that could be chosen under traditional rules are Oji-chan's female heirs. Three of them, it turns out, were three girls Megane, Chibi and Kakugari chased after when that whole thing with Memory under the Tarōzakura Hill went down. But the Emperor wants a blood heir. I was tempted to get a clone made of myself and program it to be a female me . . . but with my other-self here from another dimension . . . "

"She can do it for you!"

"Right!"

Lum nodded. "_Tcha_!" She then hummed. "But would Tariko do it?" she then asked.

The transformed Ataru breathed out. "I don't know. I can't force her to do it. My own morals go against that. And she probably feels as abandoned because none of her extended family ever came out to help her like my 'extended family' didn't raise a finger to help me. I know it wasn't because of the Men In Black. Those guys aren't normally that sloppy, but they really didn't make a clean sweep of everyone in town when they tried to make me 'normal.'" She cringed on saying that. "Cherry knew the truth all along. So did Oji-chan's wards here in town. Wouldn't surprise me if Mendō didn't know some things, too; he's been trying to find some ways to get some dirt on me to make me look permanently bad to get me out of your life since he met me . . . "

"The burakumin thing?" the Oni asked.

The Terran-turned-Yizibajohei looked over. "You know?"

A shake of the head. "Never understood that stupid belief. Then again, would I be so 'pure' in the eyes of people like Sakura?" As the others gazed at her, Lum smirked. "Nine hundred years ago, all my people were SLAVES of the Seifukusu!"

Laughter filled the space . . .

* * *

In high orbit over Japan . . .

"So you can understand why is it we would prefer that you NOT charge down to claim your would-be 'fiancée' like you probably planned to do, Your Highness," Elizabeth Wakefield coldly declared from her private laboratory under the back yard of her family home in Sweet Valley; local time was mid-afternoon and she had just got out of school. "The people of Tomobiki have suffered enough because of aliens not comprehending a damned thing about how to properly do things on Earth. Since Lum's other would-be fiancé has worked hard over the last ten years to make very sure this won't be an issue, we're putting our feet down on your visit and making sure you behave while you're here."

Standing in the middle of his command bridge – with HER not five metres behind him, leaning against the aft bulkhead with arms crossed and an amused smile on her face – Rupa tried not to gulp as he gazed on the current incarnation of one of the most feared of all of They Who Must Never Be Named. While the Academician didn't have the awesome physical powers of Rampage, her brain was a highly-programmed living computer with a _**galaxy**_'s worth of knowledge crammed into it. And her knowledge of technology was said to be unparalleled in the history of the known races. Was she not one of THEM, the Academician would probably be beating back would-be apprentices with a stick every day of her life! That this person was clearly a TERRAN in this incarnation would be reason enough for any alien visiting this world to be EXTRA careful while he was here.

The other reason was the woman nearby.

Elizabeth Wakefield's younger twin sister Jessica.

The Charging Belle of the Heavens.

Atop Rampage's very quick defeat of Redet Danu 250 years ago on That World – and that incarnation's instigation of the Mother of All Fight Scenes within a year of that event – the strengths and weaknesses of that particular line-name were well-known. Like a good ten percent of They Who Must Never Be Named, Rampage was a FISS – the acronym meant "Flight, Invulnerability, Super-speed and Super-strength" – metahuman who could dead-lift the weight of MOUNTAINS with ONE ARM, fly at many times the speed of sound, resist the direct blow of ANTI-MATTER warheads on her skin and endure in any known environment, even deepest space, for hours without needing fresh oxygen. Also – as hinted by the line-name – Rampage was a "borderline" type, who could drift from selfish "heel" to selfless "face" at a whim depending on circumstances.

Given that the current incarnation of the Charging Belle was now a TERRAN girl of seventeen summers of age – AND the twin sister of the _Academician_ of all people! – any attempt by Rupa to strong-arm his way to his fiancée was fraught with danger.

So it had to be negotiation.

And he was negotiating now with a certified GENIUS.

Taking a deep breath, he stated, "Madame Academician, I realise that you only wish your birth-planet to be safe from potential threats from both near and far. While I'm sure whatever actions my intended and her friends have done in the last Terran solar year were done in either ignorance or – in the case of Lum's so-called 'most faithful' – done under pressure by parents and other authority figures, there's never been any intent by any planet of the Galactic Federation to cause Earth any harm. Your world, as you are probably aware, is at a galactic crossroads. If the Federation doesn't control the crossroads, it will be split in half. That was the intention – or so I've always understood – of the Oni when they launched their tag race a year ago."

Elizabeth nodded. "We're aware of that, Your Highness. And while it's quite more than understandable that other powers would automatically care for their own defensive needs first, the behaviour of some of the visitors who have come to Tomobiki since the Tag Race – right from the whole matter of the business with the space-taxi called down by Lum's so-called 'Stormtroopers' right after that event – forced me to act as I have done. Now, I'm sure you now realise that Moroboshi Ataru is one of us and has been for the last ten years. He's the current Tuyuki, though he uses the Earth word 'Coyote' as his proper battle-name." At Rupa's nod, the Great Sage of the Circle then added, "And in his quest to find pretty girls to bring to Yiziba . . . " – she ignored the gasps and gulps from the bridge crew on their hearing That Name – " . . . so they could get Gifts, he has not always concentrated on Terran girls." Her blue-green eyes narrowed as she gazed intently at him. "Redet Lum is Number 2 in the Book of Pretty Girls."

Silence.

More silence.

Still more silence.

And then . . .

"Lum . . . is one of YOU?" a white-faced Rupa croaked out.

"No."

The Yaminokuni prince's breath exploded from his lungs on hearing that.

"Not yet."

That was Jessica, which made Rupa nearly choke on his tongue as he turned to stare wide-eyed at the smiling lady in the blue jumpsuit with the flocks of white birds coming up her legs in an "X" formation under her cleavage. As the Charging Belle of the Heavens pushed herself off the bulkhead with a foot, Rupa took an involuntary step back to keep this terrible demon away from him. "Now that my sis has had the chance to lay down the law, I'm going to lay down MY law to you, pretty boy!" the younger Wakefield sister said as she glared intently at him, which made Rupa croak. "Much that I would personally prefer that Ataru have nothing to do with a potential _same_ like Lum, I won't ever consider questioning his choices. And he does have Lum's best interests at heart. Which is much more than idiots like YOU do!" She pointed at him, which made him cringe. "So let's make this real clear here, boyo! You can go down and make your case to Lum. You better be DAMNED sincere about your desire to marry her . . . and you BETTER come clean about ANY potential would-be mistresses in the wings. We'll have a telepath in very close range and she'll make sure you don't lie. 'Cause if you do . . . or if you do ANYTHING to hurt Lum in any way, shape or form . . . "

"The Mother of All Fight Scenes twenty-five decades ago will look TAME compared to what WE will unleash on your planet, Your Highness," Elizabeth finished for Jessica.

"_Comprende_?" Jessica asked in Spanish.

The prince of Yaminokuni nodded as he tried not to soil himself . . .

* * *

In a castle in the highlands of Scotland, that moment (local time: midnight) . . .

"So what manner of being IS this, Miss Granger?"

Hermione sighed as she gazed down at the still form of Moroboshi Tariko. "A Battle Doll, Professor Dumbledore," she said as an aged arch-mage gazed intently at the synthezoid on the examination table in one of the unused classrooms in Hogwarts that had been commandeered by the Cosmic Mage Guild for private research space. "First created by the fifth Infinity over sixteen hundred years ago as a way of allowing the children of the Nameless to still be powerful when certain heels tried to go into the mountains to kill their families off. Never really used frequently since that time. Why Ayumu keeps them in the Doll House these days, I'll never understand."

Albus Dumbledore nodded as he used his mage-sight to gaze intently at the unmoving Tariko; Hermione placed her in suspended animation so she could do a full examination of the poor girl to ensure any traces of the being that had effectively created this living killing machine from the soul of a boy ruthlessly shot down by people trying to stop him from defending himself against what he perceived deep down as monsters. That this child was – in this universe – the incredible young man who had literally turned magical Britain upside down with his kind acts was truly ironic. Given all the chances in the world, Moroboshi Ataru had done so much good for so many. Yet the being now calling herself Moroboshi Tariko had never been given such chances . . . save one.

And taking that chance had cost her so much.

"I used to lament that the greater good demanded sacrifices," the aged headmaster then said as Hermione mentally commanded a scrying ring to pass over Tariko's body. "When I learned the awful truth of what Ataru discovered happened to Harry, I learned how much my own hubris had come to cause so much harm." A shake of the head. "From what you told Harry about Tariko here, she never got the chance to make a choice for herself anytime in her life. Effectively abandoned by family, virtually friendless, feeling betrayed by the woman she loved with all her heart and soul – yet could not make herself admit in public that she did love her out of fear of being trapped in something she did not really desire – and made an outcast by all around her because people would not open their eyes to the truth. And when one being DID come to help her . . . "

A sigh. "I don't think Destructo's coming – if it happens – will cause much harm."

Dumbledore gazed on her. "Then why do you all fear such a being's coming?"

"The only possible chance for Destructo to emerge from the Crystal – as we've always believed – is when the population of Yiziba drops below any true self-sustainability level for the whole race," Hermione stated. "That happened in Tariko's universe. The Nameless were slaughtered en masse by Doctor Death . . . where in our history, Infinity took him down before such could happen. Because of that, Tariko's Yiziba lost three-quarters of its population within a year." As Dumbledore winced on hearing that, the Master Planner of the Guild sighed. "Granted, the population of our Yiziba hasn't got that low . . . and with what Ataru's done over the last ten years, with all the people acting on their own to bring more and more into the fold with Gifts . . . "

"The chance is there . . . but can be blocked if proper planning is used."

"Yes." Hermione smirked. "Still, let's say that the population DOES dip below the level where the Crystal would allow Destructo to come. What then? He would no doubt seek to bring people to Yiziba. Not spread our way of life to other worlds as all those predictions and prophecies have said over the years. Would such a being succeed? I'm sure Destructo would succeed. Would it be done in the genteel way Ataru's done it? I doubt it. People who are desperate do desperate things. Look at Tariko."

Dumbledore nodded. "Well, it is late and I would hope you get some sleep tonight, my dear. Have a good evening. Will Miss Moroboshi be up for breakfast?"

"I hope so."

"Splendid!"

And with that, the headmaster headed out of the laboratory. Making his way towards the stairs to head back to his office, the aged sorcerer could only smile as he reflected on what had happened thanks to a "muggle" named Moroboshi Ataru when he stumbled onto a badly hurt Harry Potter in the town park in Little Whinging eight years ago. Having just come to Surrey from East Sussex and a successful Gifting with Hermione Granger, Ataru – who himself had come from a broken home and had no use whatsoever for abusive parents or guardians – unleashed himself on a hapless Dudley Dursley and his gang of bullies, cursing them with a grimoire's worth of hexes and jinxes they carried back to their own families . . . who then spread it to all of the small village for all of the times that the orphaned Harry had been put down by the vicious words of his uncle and aunt. Even to this day – despite all the efforts of the Department of Mysteries to try to remove such curses over the years – natives of Little Whinging still suffered from the deadly wrath of the man known as the Trickster of the Show . . . never knowing why their "prim and proper" village was plagued so badly in the first place.

Harry was taken by Ataru right away to Yiziba where he was allowed to heal thanks to one of the Nameless, and then given the offer to get a Gift. Glad to meet someone who understood him, the only child of James and Lily Potter agreed . . . and within an hour, was transformed into the Sorcerer Supreme of the Cosmic Mage Guild, the _**Warlock**_. Once he was so empowered, Harry – who was more than pleased at what Ataru had done to the Dursleys and everyone else in Little Whinging – came back to Earth, met up with Hermione, then began to explore their new powers together. Over time, Ataru came back to Britain to find other people to take to Yiziba to allow them to be Gifted . . . up to the point where, by the time the invitations to Hogwarts went out three years later, all of Harry's female peers in his year and Luna Lovegood were now "magical metas."

Of course, it had been young Luna – who used the Japanese name _**Yogen**_ in lieu of the Yizibajohei term "Yudim" or the English word "Prophecy" when she was Gifted to become the current incarnation of the Far Seer of the Guild – that had introduced Harry to his family history over a year before he would have first entered Gringotts Bank. And while Harry had been annoyed at the mistakes that had been made when he found himself marked as the "Boy Who Lived" thanks to Voldemort's actions – especially when it came to the issue of Sirius Black – he hadn't gone Dark (or "turned heel" as Yizibajohei called it) and lashed out at all those who had wronged him for being left isolated with the Dursleys. He did, however, reclaim his family home in Somerset, claimed his family seat in the Wizengamot and proceeded to merge the knowledge of two worlds' magics into making a better life not just for himself but for all his friends, too.

Such had an instant impact on the wizarding world when Harry began attending Hogwarts. While there were the problems – all those making money off Harry's name while not paying a single knut of royalties, for example – the entry of the Cosmic Mage Guild into the ancient castle breathed new life into the old stonework. Problems such as the matter with the Philosopher's Stone, the whole Chamber of Secrets affair – where young Ginny Weasley was Gifted as _**Soulfire**_ and the Guild had joined forces with the Wakefield twins to deal with a certain basilisk and the first of Tom Riddle's several horcruxi – the escape of Sirius Black from Azkaban and the Triwizard Tournament were resolved rather quickly and decisively. Even attempts by the Ministry of Magic to force their will on Hogwarts – thanks to Delores Umbridge – the previous year had floundered spectacularly. And given Voldemort's return at the end of the Triwizard – where his attempted use of Harry's blood in a ghastly dark resurrection ceremony allowed the Boy-Who-Lived to torture his parents' murderer ruthlessly before destroying that body, trapping Voldemort's shattered spirit in a crystal and banishing it into the Shadow Realm once and for all – it appeared that the accursed prophecy that had doomed Harry's family years before would be played out before the lad was ready.

Dumbledore then paused before the gargoyle, and then he grinned.

No.

Thanks to Moroboshi Ataru, Harry Potter was MORE than ready to deal with Tom Riddle.

"'The power he knows not,'" the headmaster whispered before calling out, "Pocky!" As the gargoyle moved aside, Dumbledore grinned as the memory of savouring those wonderful chocolate-and-biscuit treats came into his mind. _Damn! I could enjoy Pocky now . . .!_

In a flash of light, a red box was in his hand. "Miss Kasuga!" he then moaned.

«_You wanted some Pocky, didn'tcha?_» a familiar Kansai-accented voice asked in his head.

The headmaster blinked, and then he chuckled as he opened the box.

Well, when one was in Rome . . .

_**To be continued . . .**_

* * *

**WRITER'S NOTES:**

1) The incident where Lum played **Nobade Shinobi** was portrayed in the _Yatsura_ manga episode "Even Though I Wait For You" (manga story #27). It was in this episode, as displayed on the last page, that Ataru truly began to fall in love with Lum.

2) The alien judge came to Tomobiki High in the manga episode "The Thorny Art of Love" (manga story #215). The anime episode that was based on this manga story, "Blaze, Secret Powers! Stick to the Straight and Narrow Path" (anime episode #130), depicts Ataru cross-dressing in a girl's seifuku uniform.

3) Translations: **Mutsu-no-kuni** – Imperial Province of Mutsu (whose territory composes the prefectures of Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate and Aomori and the municipalities of Kazuno and Kosaka in Akita Prefecture); **(family name) no Mae** – Literally "Dame (family name)," the form of address used to the female head of a family; **Koch'ujang** – A pungent and savoury condiment made from red chilli, glutinous rice, fermented soybeans and salt which is used in all forms of cooking in Korea; **Tonkotsu Rāmen** – Rāmen made with a thick broth cooked from boiling pork bones over many hours (this is often called **Hakata Rāmen** as this dish is very popular in Fukuoka on Kyūshū).

4) The Sarah that Ryūnosuke spoke of is none other than **Sarah McDougal** of _Love Hina_. **Cadaverine**, of course, is one of the most powerful necromancers on Yiziba . . . but as one of the **Young Guns** (a group of child metas), his/her power often overwhelms him/her to the point where said person literally MELTS from the inside-out after puberty hits. In this incarnation, Kasuga Ayumu made use of the Doll House to give Sarah a body that could help her master the awesome power she gained from the Great Crystal. Cadaverine's nickname on Yiziba is the "Master/Mistress of the Grave."

5) The **Rāmen Nekohanten** was introduced in the manga story "Food Fight!" (manga episode #106). Note that in the _Yatsura_ manga, there were two stories given this title; the first was manga episode #45 (the story where Sakura makes use of special diet pills that allow her to keep her trim figure even with her enormous appetite).

6) The **Shōtoku Empress** (birth-name: **Abe**), who lived from 718-770 CE, was one of Japan's several female Heavenly Sovereigns. She was also one of the few who ruled the country in two different times in her life. In her first reign from 749-758 (when she abdicated in favour of a cousin), she was known as the **Kōken Empress**. Her second period on the Chrysanthemum Throne, from 764-770, was when she was addressed as the "Shōtoku Empress." She was notorious for her love affair with a Buddhist priest, **Dōkyō** (700-772 CE), who was made a very powerful official at the court but fell from power after the Empress' death. In _Lonely Souls_, I introduced the idea that Dōkyō and Abe were the distant ancestors of Ataru's family through an unknown daughter named **Mirei**, who was the founding matriarch of the **Ten****chiaiki Jūkazoku** (literally "The Ten Harmonious Houses of Heaven and Earth"), the personal silent servants of the Imperial Court. I revived that concept in _Phoenix From the Ashes_ and its companion stories.

7) The three girls mentioned by Ataru/Tariko to Lum that won the interest of Megane, Chibi and Kakugari were the three unnamed Butsumetsu Girls High School students from the fourth movie, _Lum the Forever_. I gave them the names **Seiryōkuteki Tanoshii**, **Katsudōteki Aijōa** and **Geijutsuteki Kenmei** when I fleshed them out in _The Senior Year_, making them wards of Ataru's paternal uncle **Moroboshi Komeru**, when they appeared in the stories "Spirit-War Tomobiki" and "The Bodyguards' Denouement."

8) The **FISS** (which normally stands for "Flight, Invulnerability, Speed, Strength") concept was first mentioned to me by a reader of my Anime Add-venture storyline _The Doctor Is In_ (which is the direct inspiration of this story). It ultimately stems from the comic book series _PS238_, which was first created by Aaron Williams in 2002.

* * *

**The Book of Pretty Girls**_**, Entry 531:**_

**_T___****he ACADEMICIAN**  
The Great Sage of the Circle of Thought

**Generation:** 29th  
**Age at Gifting:** 11 years, 1 month

**Real Name:** Elizabeth Francine WAKEFIELD  
**Relatives:** Edward Philip "Ned" WAKEFIELD (_father_), Alice Elaine WAKEFIELD (_née_ LARSON) (_mother_), Steven Kent WAKEFIELD (_older brother_), Jessica Kathryn WAKEFIELD (_younger twin sister; **Rampage**, listed in _The Book of Pretty Girls_, Entry 532_)  
**Affiliation:** Self, self's family, the Boosters of Sweet Valley, the **Sentinel** (_see Annex Entry 531-A_), **Soulfire** (_see Annex Entry 531-B_)  
**Base of Operations:** Town and Municipality of Sweet Valley, Santa Barbara County, State of California, United States of America  
**Alignment:** Face/Neutral  
**Identity:** On Yiziba, publicly known; on Earth, known resident of Sweet Valley but her being a Yizibajohei is a top secret to the general public.  
**Race/Culture of Birth:** Terran/American  
**Place of Birth:** Town and Municipality of Sweet Valley, Santa Barbara County, State of California, United States of America  
**Gender:** Female  
**Height:** 168 cm (5' 6")  
**Weight:** 47.5 kg (105 lb)  
**Eyes:** Blue-green  
**Hair:** Blonde

**Gifts:  
_Hyper-Intelligence and Technological Creativity:_** The Academician possesses a nearly-immeasurable level of intelligence and knowledge spanning all the known science categories and even some categories that delve straight into the most fantastic forms of speculative fiction. Measuring her IQ by Earth standards, the Academician has a potential quotient passing the 400 mark. With this comes an insatiable drive to create things that would make her life and the lives of those she cares for very comfortable. In effect the Yizibajohei equivalent of Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking without any sort of limitations save for physical impediments such as natural fatigue and emotional exhaustion. To ensure she does not overwhelm herself with her mind's powers, the Academician practices a very stern version of meditation which gives her a nearly Zen-level of calmness even in the most strenuous of situations.  
**_Enhanced Personal Health:_** The Academician's physical state of health is that of a non-Gifted Yizibajohei who engages in intensive exercise, which normally centres on yoga and other forms of soft martial arts like Tàijíquán and Aikidō.

**Equipment:  
_Advanced Technology:_** Never does the Academician go anywhere in costume without some equipment she either has invented herself or inherited from previous incarnations to use whenever she needs it. Included in this are the following:  
**Personal Control Bubble** – A portable mini-laboratory with hyper-communications links to her main laboratories both on Earth and Yiziba, general Omni-scanner units, personal defence force-fields and stunning weapons meant to subdue any type of foe.  
**Portable Omni-Scanner** – And no, Elizabeth doesn't call it a "tricorder!"  
**Anti-Gravity Flight Belt** – Helps to allow her to hover and move at slow speeds through the air whenever Rampage isn't around to give her a lift.  
**First Aid Kit** – People do get hurt and the Academician does like to be prepared.  
**Portable Teleport Pad** – To get things to her main labs when she needs to do that.  
**_The Free Planetary State of Yiziba Starship _****Discovery_:_** The Academician's starship, a 10/1 scale replica of the USSC _Discovery One_ from _2001: A Space Odyssey_. Unlike the ship in the movie, the FPSYS _Discovery_ is a hyperwarp-capable ship that can transport someone from Earth to Yiziba (a 300 light-year distance) in ten minutes once clear of either planet's gravity-well. The ship is armed with a hypermatter pulse cannon (like the planet-wrecking device on the Death Star in _Star _Wars) in the main sensor/communications antenna mounted amidships that could, at full power, destroy anything up to a large city. The ship has defensive systems which make her a match for any capital ship in the local cluster. She also is visually cloak-capable. Unlike the movie _Discovery_, the Academician's ship does NOT have a central computer intelligence controlling it. When not being directly used by the Academician, _Discovery_ remains in parked orbit over Earth's North Pole, hiding it from any scans both on the planet and from any of the nearby space-faring cultures.  
**_Gynoids:_** Preferring more human-like assistants than the semi-humanoid automations her previous selves created over the years, the Academician – taking inspiration from various science fiction television shows and movies – created two dozen female-form mechanical-type androids using the highest levels of artificial intelligence technology available to her at the time. All of them stay aboard _Discovery_ and are programmed to serve their mistress in whatever way she would desire them. Amongst them are "Liz" and "Jess," two life-like replicas of the Academician and Rampage, which can be subbed in whenever the real girls need to be somewhere else. All of the Academician's gynoids are as powerful as a low-end FISS-type Yizibajohei without the power to fly.

**Personality:**

Practical. Honest. Loyal. Hard-working. Avoids breaking the rules. A friend who is there for others when no one else cares. The most trustworthy person at Sweet Valley High School. That is Elizabeth Wakefield to a "T." Becoming the Academician didn't really change the elder Wakefield sister at all. It simply made her much more.

Considered "too perfect" by some people, Elizabeth had been wary at first when **Coyote** (_see Entry 0_) came into hers and her twin sister's lives when they found a badly-hurt young man in the fields north of Sweet Valley after he had tripped on a rock and twisted his ankle. And while Elizabeth was wary at first when she learned of the unique situation of the man born Moroboshi Ataru, she did accept his offer to touch the Great Crystal of Power after he accidentally teleported her and Jessica back to Yiziba when his leg got splinted so he could see a healer. Of course, when she did that, she was exposed to worlds even a lover of books like Elizabeth could NEVER imagine.

And she's never looked back.

Unlike Rampage – who views Coyote as a potential future lover and father of her children – the Academician has always been loyal to her schoolmate from elementary, middle and high school, Todd Wilkins. While not a member of the original Boosters of Sweet Valley (a cheerleading team at Sweet Valley Elementary School when Elizabeth was in sixth grade), Todd – along with several other male classmates of the Wakefield twins and their friends – gladly followed them and Ataru to Yiziba so they could all be Gifted. Todd himself became the Sentinel, which gave Elizabeth another FISS-type to stay close to her whenever she needed that level of protection beyond her twin sister. Along with Todd, Elizabeth is also close friends and allies with Winston Egbert, the only male member of the original Boosters, who became **Lightmage** (_see Annex Entry 532-A_) the same day Elizabeth, Jessica, Todd and so many others got their Gifts. Because of that, the unofficial "metahuman club" based in Sweet Valley is referred to as the **_Boosters_**.

While annoyed at the Men In Black and their friends in the International Confederation of Wizards for what they did to Coyote just before the Tag Race between him and his future fiancée Redet Lum (_see Entry 2_), the Academician did understand the fear and logic that drove such a drastic action. She had to calm down a lot of people – especially Rampage – when Coyote was rescued from being forced into a marriage with Lum by **Infinity** (_see Entry 1_) and taken back to his cabin on Yiziba to recover. In the wake of that, the Academician began preparing system wide defences at the orbit-line of the minor planet Ceres to ensure that if something (read: Niphentaxians) got out of control, Earth would be spared any damage or unnecessary deaths. So far, no one has yet noticed the mangled wrecks of dozens of spaceships – normally piloted by Urusians supporting the Imperial Round – at the asteroid belt after their drive systems were made to blow up and vent their interiors to airless vacuum beyond. At the same time, the Academician is preparing technology to be transferred to the just-liberated Avalonians – who have quite high technology in their own right – so they could secure their own solar systems when they move to settle new colonies in Seifukusu and Ipraedies space to the galactic west and east of Earth in the near future.

Much to the amusement of her boyfriend, Elizabeth is also the target of more-than-friendly affections by the current incarnation of Soulfire, Ginny Weasley, who owes a Magical Life Debt to the Academician due to an incident in the latter's first year of studies at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry involving a millennia-old basilisk and the first of a half-dozen horcruxi soul-fragment containers created by the magical terrorist Lord Voldemort. While the Academician is known to certain elements of British wizarding society and the majority of the Clan Weasley of Ottery Saint Catchpole accepts Elizabeth Wakefield as a future in-law by magical marriage, both Ginny's mother Molly and the youngest of Ginny's brother Ronald always spit fire whenever Elizabeth's name is mentioned in their home. However, both of them have learned over the years that this particular "muggle" from the "colonies" is far more dangerous than even He Who Must Not Be Named!

To date, though, Elizabeth's parents remain clueless about the truth concerning their daughters . . . though ironically, their brother Steven is dating the current incarnation of one of the Young Guns, Tricia Martin (**Tzaraath**, _see Entry 609_).

The Academician is the unofficial leader of the Boosters of Sweet Valley.


	4. The Huntress of the Wild

Tomobiki High School, Class 2-4, lunchtime . . .

"Whatever blocked us from leaving the school grounds is down now!" a boy shouted.

Aisuru Satoshi – "Megane" of the Stormtroopers – breathed out in relief. "Thank the gods! Oi, Mendō, can you call your people to go find Lum-san?"

"I will not do such a thing," Mendō replied from nearby as he enjoyed his bentō.

Silence.

"WHAT?" Megane shrieked out. "WHY NOT?"

The scion of Japan's wealthiest family sighed. Common people just didn't understand some things these days. It was simply _disgusting_! "Because of the letter from the Heavenly Sovereign, fool!" he then snapped. "He is our head-of-state! We are his subjects! When he requests something, we do everything to ensure his wishes are fulfilled! He decreed that Moroboshi and Lum-san be removed from this school! It was done! Nothing you or your little gang of idiots can do will change that!"

The other boys in the class gaped. "But why would the _Emperor_ get involved in the first place?" Urayamu Akira – "Chibi" – then sputtered. "He didn't care . . . "

"He obviously DID, idiot!" Mendō snarled. "How DARE you be so disrespectful to the Son of Heaven? Under normal circumstances, he should not concern himself with the affairs of his subjects! But no doubt because of the disruptions Lum-san's presence on Earth has caused people here in Tomobiki – as it has been seen by people _outside_ Tomobiki – he felt he simply had no choice but to finally act to restore the harmony of the land! He did! Accept it and get on with your life!" He sighed as he then moved to moderate what he just said. "All we can hope at this time, my friends, is that Lum-san finally wakes up to the true nature of Moroboshi and leave him forever! Besides, given that Tariko-san IS the Matriarch of Moroboshi's clan, Lum-san would need HER approval to marry the man! I doubt given yesterday's events that such has been granted."

"So there's still hope!" Daremo Hiroyuki – "Kakugari" – then stated.

"No doubt, Ataru's long gone from this planet," a new voice then cut in. "No one on the planet has a spaceship that could reach out to where he might be now. And given how much he DOES care for Lum – and Lum cares for him – she's probably there with him now. Good luck in trying to get them to come back to this town again."

People blinked, and then they turned to gaze on Ryūnosuke, who was enjoying her own lunch. "Ryūnosuke-kun . . . what do you know about this?" Miyake Shinobu then asked as a terrible chill began to crawl up her spine, memories of things she did thirteen months ago – done in a way to make sure a destitute family would get their only surviving child back under their care – coming back like a tidal wave.

Ryūnosuke glared at Ataru's former girlfriend – _Hell, was this idiot _ever_ a girlfriend to the guy?_ the Huntress of the Wild then mused to herself – before she turned back to her lunch. "He remembered everything the Men In Black did to him right after you all got your asses crushed by Infinity at the chapel on Uru, Miyake," she said in a cold voice, shocking all the girls there by addressing Shinobu by family name without any honorific . . . which, in this case, was meant to convey a profound level of DISRESPECT to the person in question. "Right after that, he made an arrangement with the Emperor to be legally declared an emancipated minor, which put the total kibosh on anything his jackass parents could do to force a marriage between him and Lum. He's still subject to Japanese laws about not marrying before he turns eighteen . . . as long as he's on Earth." She then smirked. "Then again, Yizibajohei don't marry, so . . . "

A horrified scream echoed from the hallway, making Ryūnosuke's head snap over to see a white-faced girl standing at the doorway to Class 2-4. Noting the wavy, long rose-red hair and the chestnut brown eyes, Ryūnosuke smirked as she held out her free hand . . . and then allowed burning _**red energy claws **_to grow out from her fingertips to a size equal to the length of her lower arm bones. As everyone in Class 2-4 gaped in awe on seeing such a display, Aruka Ran turned a very sickly grey, and then screamed out again as she raced down the hallway. Watching her go, Ryūnosuke snorted. "Stupid same," she muttered under her breath as the claws retreated back into her hand.

Silence fell over the classroom, and then Mendō breathed out. "Most impressive, Ryūnosuke-san. May I ask how you got such accoutrements?"

"On my seventh birthday, Ataru came to my family teashop," Ryūnosuke answered before sipping her tea. "He saw me out in the cold of winter freezing my butt off while Oyaji was trying to keep the Hamachaya going. Well, Ataru don't have use for abusive parents, so he beat the crap out of Oyaji, then offered to take me – a 'pretty girl' – to a place where I could be warm. Next thing I knew, I was at his cabin on the planet Yiziba, which is three hundred light-years from here. After I got a chance to eat and got checked out by one of his friends, he popped an offer on me. I got these a half-hour later." She held up her index finger as a claw deployed. "Not to mention a healing factor that keeps me disease-free and very good senses. I call myself 'Carcajou' – that's another name for a wolverine – when I get into a fighting costume and go out to beat the crap out of any jerk that really pisses me off."

The claw retracted. "Ataru-kun was on another PLANET?" Shinobu then shrieked out.

"Yep. And he was being cared for since his moron parents wouldn't care for him." Ryūnosuke then glared at Shinobu, which made the other girl wilt. "When he came to Tomobiki thirteen months ago, he was looking for _**you**_, Miyake. A friend he finally came to recall after over nine years on Yiziba. A friend he thought might deserve a Gift of her own." As Shinobu gaped at her, the tomboy turned away. "But you went along with what those idiots in the Men In Black did to him, helped him to be put back into a loveless home . . . then _**abandoned**_ him when Lum proved to be too much for you!"

"_**THAT'S NOT TRUE! WHO TOLD YOU THAT?**_" Shinobu cried out.

"Ataru did," the other girl answered. "That's why he will _**never**_ see you as a friend again, Miyake. You always jump to conclusions all the time and don't get the fuckin' whole story before you stomp down on people like you do. Even worse, you've never _apologised_ for some of the bonehead things you do with him. You're lucky he's too much of a gentleman to not break your arms or find some way to take your ki-strength away from you." As Shinobu awked and the others in the class winced – to threaten to do THAT to Ataru's former girlfriend would be quite vicious – Ryūnosuke shrugged. "Well, too bad, so sad. Ataru's moron parents get an empty house and Lum hopefully will get over her fear of Yizibajohei to go live with him there. Now that the idiots in that moronic 'church' named after Lum have been defanged, they'll be able to live in peace."

The others just gaped at her . . . before the massed sounds of pigs grunting echoed through the open windows of the classroom. Ryūnosuke blinked before she got up and looked outside, gazing up into the sky to see quite an interesting sight: A chariot being drawn through the AIR by a small team of about two dozen black potbellied pigs. "Damn! Roast beef tonight if the dork drivin' that thing does something stupid!"

The others gathered at the windows as they watched this strange procession come down towards the school . . . and then Shitto Kōsuke – "Perm" – cried out. "Hey! There's some girl flying down with that guy!" he called out, pointing.

People looked. "Who IS that?" Mendō demanded.

"That's Rampage," Ryūnosuke answered.

People gazed at her. "Another of . . . Moroboshi's friends?" Mendō then wondered.

"Yeah! High-end FISS-type. She can dead-lift the mass of Fuji-san with both arms, can fly through any type of atmosphere at supersonic speeds, resist an atomic bomb going off on her skin and can't be taken down by any physical means." As the others in the room gaped at what their classmate just said, Ryūnosuke walked over to her book bag to draw out a bracelet. "Oh, word to the wise, Mendō: She loves Ataru like no one else's business. Try to hit on her and you'll be breathing VACUUM if you're not careful!"

Mendō gargled as the tomboy headed out of the room . . .

* * *

_They're HERE! They Who Must Never Be Named are HERE!_

For the woman born Aruka Ran on the Urusian colony world of Shingetsu seventeen Earth years ago, the revelation of Fujinami Ryūnosuke – and by the sounds of it, Moroboshi Ataru as well! – being of THAT race nearly made her soil her panties.

And such was with good reason, too!

EVERY Urusian child, when in galactic kindergarten, learns of the Mother of All Fight Scenes. When the old Urusian Empire, on locating a peaceful world with no obvious space tech or anything of the sort which would make conquering the place difficult, targeted a planet about thirty light years from planet Elle to give them an outpost right next to the frontiers of the largest local galactic power, the Confederation of Vos. Said world – even THINKING of the world's name made Ran want to scream out – clearly had a hardy population that could have been enslaved and put to better use serving the Imperial Houses in control of Urusians at the time. But since Urusians did have a reputation for sportsman-like behaviour, a Tag Race was used instead.

One of Lum's distant ancestors, Redet Danu, was the Oni champion.

A guy named Lireta Pietbezgu – who called himself "Rampage" – was the local champion.

The Tag Race lasted only EIGHT SECONDS.

Much to the total shock of the Oni commander, a distant ancestor of Rei's named Seq Joth, Lireta could ALSO fly . . . as could half his _**race**_!

Well – as Ran mused when she thought about it – Admiral Joth wasn't going to go home empty-handed, so he threatened invasion on the pretext that the locals had _**cheated**_.

He then learned much to his cost what ELSE Lireta was.

As did Uru itself a year later.

_**The Mother of All Fight Scenes**_.

A comical title . . . for a concept that nearly spelt the end of the Urusian RACE!

And now . . .

They were HERE!

On Earth!

The ONE planet the Urusians would gladly go to war with ANYONE over!

And what was worse . . .

Lum's very own HUSBAND was one of Them!

As she slipped on her outdoor shoes and sprinted outside to run for the front gate, Ran grimaced. She had to get back to her ship as quick as she could move.

She had to call Lum's father and warn him immediately.

Screw the whole business over who would marry Rei-sama.

If THEY were here, EVERY ALIEN on the planet was going to . . .!

_**WHOMP!**_

_Oh, my . . . what pretty stars . . .!_

* * *

Rampage blinked in confusion on feeling something like a feather hit her at a good clip from behind, and then she turned around to watch a girl with rather cute rose-pink hair in the standard girl's lame "sailor suit" uniform worn by most high school students in Japan collapse to the ground, her face now showing an ugly bruise forming on it as blood leaked out from a shattered nose and some broken teeth. Realising that whoever had just slammed into her hadn't seen the Charging Belle of the Heavens in time before she had struck someone with the physical indestructibility of a wall made of solid adamantium, the California-born meta sighed as she moved to catch the collapsing girl before her skull bounced off one of the rocks in the main pathway leading to the front door of the school. "Hey!" she called out in accented Japanese to a bunch of rugby players nearby. "Can someone get the school nurse? We got a bad bleeder here!"

Much to her total surprise, the whole group ran into the school building. Rampage watched them go, and then she blew out of the corner of her mouth to toss aside the locket of sun-streaked wavy blonde hair which had fallen into her range of vision. Said hair, parted over her right eye, normally cascaded down to the lower end of her shoulder blades; unlike her sister, Rampage wore her hair loose in costume and out of it, which gave her a raw, sensual look for a lady who had just turned seventeen. Her face, tanned slightly thanks to her being a born-and-bred California beach girl, was perfectly sculptured, her sparkling blue-green eyes the only natural colour on her face outside her full, kissable lips. A trendy girl who kept up with the latest fashions while not going too crazy, the woman born Jessica Wakefield gladly made all men her age – and even older men! – thank whatever deity they worshipped that they WERE men.

Of course, Jessica ultimately only cared for ONE man's opinion.

Said man had once lived in this dorky suburb of Tōkyō until he finally got a good life for himself and vamoosed to the Party Hub of the Universe itself.

And now, if a nice girl from Uru would kindly get a clue finally and go off to be with him, said man would not have to live like a monk anymore.

Jessica vowed she would talk to Lum about this when they finally met.

"What happened to her?"

Jessica sighed as a sheer _supermodel_ of a woman in her mid-twenties ran out to join her, a first aid bag in hand. Noting that, the visitor from Sweet Valley was quick to realise this was Sakura herself. _Damn! I can see why all the boys want to do the horizontal Macarena with this girl!_ "She ran into my back. Fall down and went 'boom,'" the Charging Belle of the Heavens said as two of the rugby players – sporting slap marks on their cheeks, she noted with a smirk – came out with a canvas stretcher. Noting that, she grinned as she watched the woman get to work on the unconscious girl – who, up close, clearly didn't look one hundred percent simon-pure Terran – that had slammed into her back. "Dummy wasn't watching where she was going. In a panic."

"That's because she just found out that 'They Who Must Never Be Named' are here," a familiar voice then called out. "Hey, Jess! How are things going with you?"

Jessica grinned as she looked over on noting Ryūnosuke come up to join them. Much to the Californian's delight, the tomboy from Chōshi – who could make himself look like a handsome man with very little effort – was in her fighting costume, a slate grey affair with black, razor teeth-designed trim on her sides. Atop the standard black buccaneer boots the newer generations of Yizibajohei sported with their redesigned uniforms, the current incarnation of the Wild Huntress had gauntlets on her similar to the gloves worn by hockey players. The gloves were designed to help any incarnation of Carcajou control the massive ki energy s/he could produce through her hands; if they weren't there and the Wild Huntress was going full-tilt, his/her touch would literally take down a building! "I'm cool," the Charging Belle of the Heavens stated. "I take it this dummy is the bimbo airhead Ataru always complains about all the time."

"Yeah, that's her," Ryūnosuke stated. "She overheard my telling everyone about Ataru going back to Yiziba and freaked out. I was about to go after her and stop her from screaming bloody murder to Lum's old man; once the Niphentaxian idiots in town got wind of it, they'd probably go start a hostage scene since Haruhi took their bomb away."

Sakura perked as she gazed up on the tomboy. "Who are you talking about?"

A chuckle. "Sorry about that, Sensei. It's a probability field produced by our costumes so that people don't comprehend us when we say each other's real names. I don't mind revealing what I am to people. My friend here does." She waved to Jessica in emphasis, and then she looked over to see the hooded man cowering in the cockpit of the chariot the space-pigs had just pulled onto the school grounds. "Who's he?"

"Rupa of Yaminokuni, heir to the First Patriarchy," Jessica explained. "He's here to meet Lum. Supposedly, he's Lum's official fiancé. Arranged marriage."

A snort. "That's not going to go down well," Ryūnosuke warned. "One: Lum would never agree to an arranged marriage since she loves Ataru way too much for that. Two: If she _did_ care for this guy, she wouldn't have been so damned clingy with Ataru. And three: If this idiot pulls something on Lum, Ataru's gonna go medieval on his ass!"

"True. He did it in Little Whinging," Jessica noted.

Sakura perked. "_**Harry Potter**_'s old hometown?"

"Sensei, that ass-wipe of a village was NEVER Harry's hometown," Ryūnosuke noted.

A blink. "Oh . . . "

"_**WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?**_"

Ryūnosuke winced on hearing Megane's outraged scream, and then she turned as a whole bunch of boys from several classes – who just had the luck to overhear Jessica's words about Rupa – began to burn with rage as they glared at the visitor from Yaminokuni. "_**THIS SWINE DARES BELIEVE HE CAN **_**MARRY**_** OUR PURE, INNOCENT LUM-SAN?**_" the leader of the Stormtroopers screamed out as he pointed accusingly at Rupa, who was blinking in confusion at the group of locals now staring murderously at him. "_**WE WILL NOT HAVE IT! FOR LUM-SAN'S INNOCENCE AND FREEDOM FROM LECHERY! CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGE!**_"

Before the boys could charge, though, a blonde-haired blur in blue-and-silver landed before them, her hands spread out wide to either side.

And then they came together at the speed of sound!

_**KA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**_

All the boys screamed out as that directed wave of highly-compressed air slammed into them to send them flying back into the front stairs of the school, cracking and even BREAKING the hard concrete with the force of their bodies' impacts! As the ground floor windows all shattered from the sonic boom that exploded from Jessica's hands on her using her special "Hulk manoeuvre" – while having not seen superhero cartoons on a regular basis, she was familiar with THAT particular character and did take some inspiration from him – she then moved to glare intently at the dazed and bleeding boys who had tried to attack Rupa. "Now, are you clowns going to do THAT again?"

"Jessica-chan . . .!"

Jessica looked up . . .

. . . as a slender Japanese girl in the same cut of bodysuit that Ryūnosuke and Jessica herself used – halter-top blouse with turtleneck collars, form-fitting pants, buccaneer boots and belt around the waist – floated down to land beside her. As the newcomer then waved her hand, the shattered windows were instantly restored to normal, causing all the students and staff who had been blasted back by that shockwave to gape on noting that all had been repaired. Even the main steps had been fixed up, though the Stormtroopers and their friends were still passed out and bleeding from the many wounds they had taken from being rudely introduced to concrete like that. As Jessica grinned at the just-arrived girl, Kasuga Ayumu – as noted by the slate-grey bodysuit with the black boots, white belt and white lemniscate insignia on her upper chest, she was the current incarnation of the Goddess Who Walks Amongst Men, _**Infinity**_ – gave her a glare.

"Now, Jess!" the Wakayama-born girl moaned. "Why'cha do THAT for, anyway?" She waved to the school building in emphasis. "Yeah, the guys here are total dorks since they don't care at all about Lum-chan, but they don't deserve you going Hulk all over them!"

Many of the male students on the upper floors cried out in horror on being accused of NOT caring for Lum, though many of the female students there were nodding agreement to what the visitor from Nakano just said. "Liz went out of her way to make things nice and peaceful for Loverboy when he came down looking for his missus," Jessica stated as she thumbed Rupa, who was gaping wide-eyed at the sight of the most powerful of They Who Must Never Be Named . . . and said being was in the form of a teenage GIRL? "Besides, we know what sort of obsessive-compulsive idiots Lum's so-called 'fan club' here are like! Lucky thing we got rid of that damned annihilation bomb like we did!"

"_**WHAT ANNIHILATION BOMB?**_"

That was a wide-eyed Rupa. As the people on the upper floors all began to hiss out at each other, Jessica gazed at him. "Courtesy of Lum's so-called 'most faithful,'" she said. "Starbase self-destruct device according to my sister. Output of 2.1 exajoules. Five hundred megatons of TNT; don't ask me what that is in your measurements. Don't ask me why it was here in the first place, either. I'm just glad we got rid of it!"

The Yaminokuni prince blinked, and then he nodded in understanding, a slight smile then crossing his face. Jessica was quick to notice, and then she turned away as Ryūnosuke came up to join her. "Looks like Loverboy there is scheming up ways of trying to make Lum ditch Ataru and go back with him to his planet," the Californian whispered.

A snort. "Ain't gonna get far, especially with what Ataru's probably done," the beach café tomboy then mused. "What do you think about that, Ayumu . . .?"

"_**WAI! WHAT CUTE PIGGIES!**_"

Jessica and Ryūnosuke jolted, and then they turned . . .

. . . to see Ayumu gazing at the small chariot team of pigs that had pulled Rupa down to Earth from his ship. As the other two Terrans-turned-Yizibajohei moaned, the people watching this from the school gaped on seeing the pigs literally PROSTRATE themselves before the Kansai-born meta. On seeing that, Ayumu moaned. "Hey! Guys! Guys! Don't do that to me! It's embarrassing! Guys! Stop that! Hey, guys . . .!"

Watching this, Jessica and Ryūnosuke gazed at each other, and then they laughed . . .

* * *

Thirty minutes later, the principal's office . . .

"So you have come here seeking Lum-kun's hand in marriage, Your Highness?"

Rupa nodded. "Hai, Kōchō-sensei," he said as he bowed politely to the Principal, grateful that his people had been quite thorough in getting as much intelligence as they could about the natives of Tomobiki before he himself came to meet Lum. Much of that came ironically thanks to the Niphentaxians . . . who would no doubt be in a world of diplomatic trouble once the news of the placing of a starbase's _**self-destruct device**_ – a weapon that could unleash _nuclear winter_ on any Class M planet – on the surface of a world the Union of Phentax Two _**did not**_ claim got out. And with the destruction of the so-called "Army of Lum" – no doubt thanks to said self-destruct device – any excuse that idiot Ōgi made wouldn't wash this time. "It is a matter of an honour-debt that was owed by the family of Senior General Redet Traveller of Uru – he is Lum's great-grandfather – to my great-grandfather, the First Patriarch Upa of Yaminokuni."

The Principal hummed. "I see. What is the nature of this debt? Even if Lum-kun has been officially removed from the school's nominal rolls . . . " – hearing that made all the boys tearfully moan as they considered life without their favourite schoolmate to swoon over and lust for – " . . . she has many friends here in town and they will be most profoundly concerned for her welfare. The undisciplined and unwarranted demonstration by several of this school body earlier proves that."

While the elderly school administrator hadn't looked in the direction of the wounded and bandaged Stormtroopers as he said that, he could sense the multiple winces those boys had made on sensing the strong condemnation he wished to make concerning their behaviour when it came to the Oni in question. Which was good. Much that the Principal personally felt that all the real-life experiences his charges could possibly engage in would do them all a world a good in the long term, there were certain things that had got way too out of control and needed to be reigned back before someone got seriously hurt or killed. In that regard, he was grateful to learn the truth of what was going on with Moroboshi Ataru. How he – an adopted member of the most feared race of sentient beings in the local galactic cluster – was doing his best behind the scenes to ensure that dark fate never befell anyone close to him, even those people who would never appreciate how much the lad had really sacrificed for them over the years.

And by the sounds of it, Lum herself was about to embrace that life as well.

Hopefully, this fellow would appreciate that and back away when the time came.

And wouldn't lash out to hurt people who didn't deserve to be hurt.

Still, his case did deserve a hearing.

Rupa sighed. "Twelve of your decades ago, when my great-grandfather was travelling, he encountered a destitute and starving Urusian Marine officer named Redet Traveller. As I said earlier, he is Lum's great-grandfather. Of course, my own great-grandfather had some food with him, but he did not trust outworlders. Especially Urusians." As the boys in the class tensed on sensing the veiled insult in the visitor's words towards Lum's people, Rupa then smirked. "I'm sure my future wife has shown herself to be a very good person deep down given your loyalty and concern for her, gentlemen. But have you all noticed the fact that she has treated Moroboshi Ataru as her husband . . . when he NEVER made a marriage tag upon her horn-buds in the year she has lived here?"

Total silence answered that as the boys all gazed in confusion at him. "They don't know about Oni mating customs, bud," Ryūnosuke then stated, which made Rupa gaze at her. "And Ataru would never trap Lum into 'marriage' by tagging her horn-buds outside a Tag Race. That's not kosher where we come from." As the boys blinked on hearing that, and then began to grin lecherously, the Wild Huntress then added, "But 'cause Lum _**does**_ consider herself married to Ataru, anyone touchin' her horns would be seen as RAPING her!" As all the boys paled on hearing THAT, she gazed on Rupa. "Includin' you, pal. You better not be pullin' shit on Lum when you meet her pal. She's my friend. She's also Infinity's friend." She thumbed out the windows, where Ayumu was still busy with Rupa's pigs. "Mess with Lum in front of her, you're toast."

"Dōmo, Fujinami-kun," the Principal then stated. "Do go on, Your Highness."

"Arigatō, sir," Rupa stated. "A wager was made between my great-grandfather and Senior General Traveller, one the senior general lost. At risk to his life, he then did agree that Great-grandfather could marry the senior general's daughter." A smirk. "Which he did not have at the time; he only fathered a son, Searcher. But since the wager was made AND AGREED TO, Great-grandfather has held out the hope that a daughter would be born of the senior general's descendants. Which came true in this generation with Lum." As all the boys gasped, Rupa then smirked. "Of course, my great-grandfather is well beyond the need to have a wife, so he deferred this matter of honour to me. Which I am here now to carry out. Surely even _**your**_ kind can understand such matters, Ojō-sama," he said as he gazed on Ryūnosuke. "After all, did your people not launch the Mother of All Fight Scenes on Uru when Admiral Joth accused your friend's past self of CHEATING when he bested the Lady Danu in their tag race?"

"No," Jessica sweetly answered. "Why do you people believe that stupid story about what happened between Lireta and Danu?" As others blinked, the Charging Belle of the Heavens stated, "The Mother of All Fight Scenes was launched when Danu got homesick and wanted to see her family again after she was Gifted and transformed into Tempest so she could do wonderful pillow scenes with Lireta – WHOM SHE FELL IN LOVE WITH, by the way! – and was EXPERIMENTED on by the dictators in charge of the planet at that time!" As people gasped and Rupa paled, the California smirked. "Which is really curious to me now that Lum is in love with Ataru, who himself is _Yizibajohei_ . . . " – she smirked as Rupa screamed out on hearing THAT name – " . . . and knows now the truth of what her own ancestor had to do to be happy for her life. And with Danu's example, the chances are really good that Lum will soon become the next _**Tempest**_!"

"Her parents will never allow that!" Rupa snapped. "_**I**_ won't allow it!"

An eyebrow arched. "Oh? Who gives _you_ the right to decide what happens to Lum? A girl you've probably NEVER MET!" Jessica shook her head. "Typical same behaviour! Just because _you_ think it's right, you automatically decide it's right for _everyone else_ . . . but don't damn hell bother to ASK those other people about that! Sorry, buddy! We trashed all our dictators in the Dawn of Power and showed the rest of the galaxy what we think of jerks like that in the Mother of All Fight Scenes! It's a pity the Urusians didn't go all the way to force ALL their Imperials to face their own death scenes when Aruka Syl called people to arms and pitched them off their thrones! The way they look on Lum at times is just disgusting!" She pointed at him, which made Rupa cringe. "Redet Lum is under the protection of Coyote and Infinity, norm! That means she's under the protection of ALL the Free Planetary State of Yiziba!" As Rupa gargled once more on hearing that name, Jessica sighed. "Hurt her, you answer to _**us**_!"

And with that, she and Ryūnosuke walked out. "Oh, my!" Sakura breathed out . . .

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, above the Moroboshi home . . .

"So this is some sort of weird honour-debt situation that was supposedly arranged between my great-grandfather – _**whom I've never met**_! – and the First Patriarch of a kingdom that exists on a planet with no visible SUN?" Lum snarled.

Jessica nodded. She and Ryūnosuke had come up to Lum's ship to brief the Oni and Ataru – not to mention Ten, Molly and Regina – about the meeting with Rupa. "Yeah! He seems pretty sincere about it, but you never know about these things, Lum."

"Is your great-grandfather still alive, Lum?" Ataru asked.

A shake of the head. "I'm not sure, Darling. He disappeared years ago, sometime after Grandfather Searcher died, but I don't know exactly when and where."

«_There's something else he didn't want to say, Lum_,» a familiar voice then said.

Everyone perked on hearing the telepathic voice of the most powerful psychic of all Yiziba. "What is it, Yomi?" Ataru then asked before sipping his spring water.

«_He's got a girl chasing after him!_» Mizuhara Yomi answered. «_Girl by the name of Carla. Nice girl . . . but a bit too enthusiastic when it comes to trying to make her man see reason and love her back. Usually at the business end of a rocket launcher!_»

Ataru then moaned. "Ah! Shades of Lupica, you mean!"

Lum and Ryūnosuke laughed as they remembered the "crown princess of the Universe" – they both knew that Lupica was only crown princess-regent of a small group of ten worlds to the galactic southeast of Earth – who had come to Tomobiki two months before seeking Moroboshi Ataru's help in finding a way to locate an "ultimate love potion" so she could win over the love of a local tōfu delivery boy. The visitors from California could only smirk; Ataru had filled them all in on the gory details after the smoke had settled and he got some time alone while all the other idiots had been chasing down the local love potion Cherry had found after Lupica and Rio went home. «_The same! Same taste in armaments, too_,» Yomi mused from her classroom at Azuma High School; it was a study hall for the Azuma Gang now, thus allowing Ayumu to come to Tomobiki as Infinity to help out with Rupa. «_And she knows now about this engagement between her boy and Lum-chan, Ataru. He's going to want to push it as quick as he could._»

"Well, we'll have to . . . "

_**KA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM . . .!**_

Everyone was tossed out of their chairs by the shockwave that had struck Lum's ship from below. As people quickly recovered – Lum and Ten could get airborne while the Terrans-turned-Yizibajohei were quite tough in their own right – Ryūnosuke splayed her claws as she looked around. "WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?" she demanded.

"That came from the direction of Tomobiki High!" Ataru snapped.

"I'll go look!" Jessica said.

And with that, she was off . . .

* * *

Tomobiki High School . . .

"There, there, guys! It's okay! No one'll hurt'cha! It's okay!"

All of Rupa's squealing pigs had moved behind Ayumu after a bolt of energy came soaring down from the heavens to slam into the ground right by the front gate. Before anyone playing on the front lawn – the rugby team who had helped Jessica with a dazed Ran, for example – could have been hurt by the burning mix of ki, electricity and compressed air, Ayumu had thrown up a deflecting shield to turn the force-blast away from the school building itself and the hundreds of defenceless students inside. Of course, nearby buildings had their windows shattered by the radiated wave of energy, though few passers-by had been hurt even from falling debris. As a billowing mushroom-shaped cloud began to form in the sky over the school property, Ayumu then looked over. "Boy! Whoever sent that sure put a lot of kick behind it!" she mused . . .

. . . before the smoke finally started to clear away and reveal the figure that had been at the very heart of that blast. A figure that was dressed in an older-style Yizibajohei-model jumpsuit – one with wide sleeves and leggings in lieu of the halter-top-with-turtleneck collar blouse and form-fitting slacks design preferred by Terrans-turned-Yizibajohei – in a pale grey shade with no decorations on it. And while that was odd, the REAL shocker for the Goddess Who Walks Amongst Men was the woman's face and green hair. Not to mention the two golden horn-buds at her temples.

"Lum-chan . . .?" Ayumu asked.

"Hey! Who the hell are you, lady?" a strange voice challenged from above.

The newcomer turned to look up – moving with a robotic-like stiffness that made Ayumu's dark brown eyes go wide with surprise – as Jessica landed nearby. Before the Charging Belle could launch an attack, Ayumu held out her hand. "No, Jess! Don't smash her!" she said. "This is the Lum-chan from Tariko-chan's home dimension!"

Silence.

"Eh?" the Californian gasped. "I thought she was DEAD!"

As people inside the school all gasped on hearing that, Ayumu shook her head. "Nah! Looks like Greg-kun turned her into a Battle Doll before that creep Schwartz had her head taken off in Onishuto!" As cries of horror escaped all the boys in the school, Ayumu walked over to gaze intently into the newcomer's eyes. "Hey, Lum-chan!" she said with a wave of her hand. "What'cha doin' here? Are you lookin' for Tariko-chan?"

That made the doll's eyes sparkle as those orbs locked in on the lemniscate insignia on the other girl's chest . . . though Ayumu was quick to sense that the reaction time wasn't as fast as it should have been. "Darling . . . " she then whispered as she took a step towards Ayumu. "Where is Darling? I need to find Darling. Please help me."

"Well, Tariko-chan's sleeping right now. She's been through quite a lot since she got turned into a Battle Doll by Greg-kun," Ayumu answered. "Was it Greg-kun that sent'cha here to go find Tariko-chan, Lum-chan? What'cha want to do with Tariko-chan?"

A blink. "I . . . do not know. I must find Darling. After that . . . I do not know."

"Is she safe?" Jessica asked.

Ayumu's eyes narrowed as her meta-sight clicked in. After a minute, she sighed. "Oh, man! Her soul got yanked out of her just as that jerk Schwartz's executioner shot her head off!" A sigh. "It's there, but she needs to be organic quick to be normal!"

"Get her to the Cave?"

"NO!"

Both girls perked, and then they turned to see a shuddering Rupa standing there. "Hey, Rupa-kun! Relax!" Ayumu then said. "This ain't our Lum-chan! She's from . . .!"

"_**HOW DARE YOU MAKE POOR LUM INTO ONE OF YOU?**_" the Yaminokuni prince screamed out. "_**YOU ARE THE MONSTERS EVERYONE SAYS YOU ARE! NOW TURN MY FIANCÉE BACK . . .!**_"

_KK-KRACK!_

Rupa's eyes went wide as a bolt of energy as bright as the sun overhead exploded in his face . . . and then nearly fried him to his bones as he was flung back by the impact of the mixed ki/electrical attack to smash through the front doors of the school, through the central corridor – nearly bowling over a half-dozen students along the way! – to smash through the back doors and crash-land mercifully on the soccer pitch beyond!

Silence then fell, and then Ayumu turned to Lum. "Gee, Lum-chan, why'cha do that for?"

"He is the one who instigated Darling's pain," the battle doll version of the Oni from another universe said as several people came down behind them. "I stopped him from doing it again to my counterpart in this universe. Where is Darling?"

"Lum . . . "

The doll blinked, and then she turned . . .

. . . before she leapt over to swamp Ataru with a kiss that could suck the air out of an elephant! A second later, an Akira wave of energy exploded from the doll to nearly demolish half of Tomobiki itself. Fortunately for the rest of the town, Ayumu had been quick enough to put up a containing funnel of energy to direct the force of the blast high into the noon sky, causing a beautiful explosion of energy overhead.

"_**DARLING!**_" the real Lum screamed out.

Silence then fell . . . as the wave of energy then faded to reveal the doll now flat on her back at Ataru's feet and he himself unhurt by such a concentrated burst of energy at so close of a range. As people inside the school building – especially all the boys – cried out in horror on seeing that the "cancer of Tomobiki" had NOT BEEN HARMED AT ALL by that powerful "ultimate expression of love," he then sighed.

"That's the trouble with some girls," Ataru then mused as he gazed at Ayumu, a wry smile then crossing his face. "Kiss them and they fly apart."

"Yeah, that's true," the Wakayama-born girl said with a nod . . .

_**To be continued . . .**_

* * *

**WRITER'S NOTES:**

1) Translations: **Bentō** – Box lunch; **Ojō-sama** – Form of address to a young, unmarried woman when one's name is not known.

2) To get an idea what the yield of what the Niphentaxians' annihilation bomb is like, the most powerful explosive ever created on Earth, the Soviet _**Car'-bomba**_ ("Tsar Bomb"), tested on 30 October 1961, had a designed explosive yield of 420 petajoules (or 100 megatons of TNT explosive equivalent) and was actually detonated with a yield of 210 petajoules (50 megatons TNT equivalent). The fireball of the device was about eight kilometres (five miles) wide and a village in the test zone 55 kilometres (34 miles) away from Ground Zero was totally wrecked. Now, the _Car'-bomba_ was tested on one of the islands in the Nóvaya Zemlyá archipelago in the Arctic Ocean north of the Urals, so an explosion TWENTY times as large in a crowded metropolitan city like Tōkyō on a low-lying plain by the seashore . . . well, I'll leave to your imaginations.

3) **Lupica** and **Rio** were introduced in the sixth _Yatsura_ movie, _Always My Darling_. That movie, in the continuity of this story, was set two months before Part 1.

4) Fans of Bugs Bunny should recognise where Ataru's comment to Ayumu at the end of this part came originally from. Here's a hint; Bugs plays a manicurist in this short!

* * *

**The Book of Pretty Girls_, Entry 100:_**

**_CARCAJOU  
(_**_also known as **TOLOSE)  
**_**The Huntress of the Wild**

**Generation:** 28th  
**Age at Gifting:** 7 years

**Real Name:** FUJINAMI Ryūnosuke  
**Relatives:** FUJINAMI Fujimi (_father_), FUJINAMI Masako (_mother, deceased_)  
**Affiliation:** Self, all those who got Gifts thanks to Coyote (_see Entry 0_)  
**Base of Operations:** Originally City of Chōshi, Chiba Prefecture, State of Japan; now Tomobiki District, City of Nishitōkyō, Metropolis of Tōkyō, State of Japan  
**Alignment:** Neutral/Face  
**Identity:** On Yiziba, publicly known; on Earth, Ryūnosuke is somewhat known throughout the Kantō region of Japan, but her being a Yizibajohei is top secret.  
**Race/Culture of Birth:** Terran/Japanese  
**Place of Birth: **City of Chōshi, Chiba Prefecture, State of Japan  
**Gender:** Female (despite all protests from her father to the contrary!)  
**Height:** 172 cm (5' 8")  
**Weight:** 49.8 kg (110 lb)  
**Eyes:** Brown  
**Hair:** Black

**Gifts:  
_Ki (Life Energy) Manipulation:_** Carcajou has the ability to summon ki energy to enhance all elements of her body. Under normal circumstances, she could use same to give her body considerable boosts in power. Doing this allows her to bench-press five tonnes in Earth gravity, swim at the speed of a torpedo, jump several hundred metres in any direction and resists a great number of body-blows from anyone not possessing any form of superhuman strength. This also helps enhance her healing capabilities.  
**_Energy Claws and Punch:_** Using her ki, Carcajou can deploy 30 centimetre energy claws from her fingertips. With these claws, Carcajou can literally dismember anything that is not constructed of any form of neutronium or mesonium. Using this power would harden her skeleton to the strength of pure diamond, making her bones unbreakable by almost any known physical means (save, as noted above, by any weapon forged of either neutronium or mesonium) and most psionic or magical means. With this power, she also has the ability to unleash a shattering punch that can wreck a good-sized building.  
**_Healing Factor:_** Partially fuelled by her ki abilities and partially because of the mesonium in her bloodstream, Carcajou can literally heal from most wounds that do not result in the removal of limbs or cause such massive trauma that she would die from either the shock or massive blood loss. She cannot be poisoned with any permanent detrimental effect and can resist all known forms of intoxication. Standard disease ailments cannot effect her, though viral plagues such as Ebola will incapacitate her, forcing her to isolate herself to give her body time to heal. Minor surface wounds heal within an hour. Broken bones – once set into place – heal to full strength within a couple of hours. Unknown forms of sicknesses from magical sources have rarely if ever been encountered by Carcajou, but given her body's ability to mend itself, it is theoretically possible for her to develop the antibodies in her bloodstream to resist anything known to all the various magical societies on Earth.  
**_Self-Disguise Field:_** To ensure none of the aliens she dealt with when she came to live full-time in Tomobiki would recognise her as a Yizibajohei, Carcajou got a disguise field put around herself which is the same type of masking screen Coyote has.

**Personality:**

Born as a woman, raised as a man . . . until Coyote came along.

The only child of a poor fisherman's son, the current Carcajou could have had a normal childhood hadn't her mother died under very mysterious circumstances when she was just a babe. Left to his own devices, Ryūnosuke's father Fujimi – no doubt propelled by grief towards the loss of his beloved Masako – decided to raise his child as best as he could in the only way he knew how: As a "man above men" who could inherit the family beach teashop, the Hamachaya, when "he" became of age.

Unfortunately, a wandering boy who lived on another world had other ideas.

At the time Coyote encountered the Fujinami family at their teashop near Chōshi, it was quite obvious: A mean man was beating up on his only daughter and allowing her to freeze in the middle of January out in the open for no reason whatsoever. Because of that, on Ryūnosuke's seventh birthday, the Trickster of the Show ambushed the elder Fujinami, put him into traction, and then took his "pretty daughter" to a place so she could be warm. One hour later, the Huntress of the Wild was reborn on Yiziba.

And try as Fujinami Fujimi might, there was nothing he could do to make his "son" do as "he" was told and learn what being a "man above men" was all about.

And those _claws_ Ryūnosuke could make . . .!

Fortunately for him, the current Carcajou did recognise what her stubborn old man was ultimately trying to do: Prepare his only child for a very ugly and dark world that had swept away a mother she would never know without warning. And while Carcajou did have a good clue about "female" issues such as menstruation and the wearing of proper undergarments beneath her normal boy's clothing, it was a running fight all the way. Especially when it came to the issue of covering her breasts when they started to develop as puberty came on. She wanted bras, he insisted on a sarashi . . . and it was yet another knock-down, drag-out fight between father and "son."

Of course, despite her true gender, Ryūnosuke does act with a sort of calm dignity one would expect from a proper samurai of the Tokugawa era. While not fully indoctrinated in the ways of Bushidō, the young fighter is quite polite and pleasant to all she meets . . . which certainly garnished the interest of many girls as they began to discover the young "bishōnen" in their midst. Even on discovering the truth – despite all of Fujimi's attempts at blocking it – the girls certainly don't feel any anger or sense of betrayal at learning that Ryūnosuke is really a beautiful girl. As for Ryūnosuke herself, having lived both as a man and as a woman in previous incarnations, the queer mating rituals practiced by people her age in Japan were just plain strange.

And then Coyote came back into her life . . .

While not wanting to have anything really much to do with city folk, Carcajou – after Coyote briefed her in on what was going on in Tomobiki – decided a change of scenery was nice and, thanks to another brawl with her father, was off to join the man who had effectively saved her life from the cold in Tomobiki. Unlike other girls attending Tomobiki High School, Carcajou was fully aware of the truth behind Moroboshi Ataru . . . and was fully ready to play along with it since there were unseen alien threats lurking about town thanks to Ataru's "marriage" to Redet Lum (_see Entry 2_). And while she was tempted from time to time to personally deal with the Niphentaxians living in the city, Carcajou held off until such time as the annihilation bomb that was planted in the Tomobiki Ginza was finally disposed of when the time was right.

Of course, she also had to deal with her own "fiancée" along the way . . .

"_Stupid Oyaji . . .!_"


	5. The Goddess Who Walks Amongst Men

Tōkyō, Nakano Ward, four hours later . . .

"Oh, my! You mean to say that _**Destructo**_ created this thing?"

"Nah, Chiyo-chan! Greg-kun just took Lum-chan's soul and put it into the doll to save her before she got her head shot off by the stupid Ipraedies!"

Hearing that declaration from her classmate, Mihama Chiyo – she was the Genius of the Young Guns; originally called "Cerebral Child," she was renamed _**Prodigy**_ by Ataru after the preteen genius received her Gift three years ago – nodded before she gazed at the mixture of devices that she had brought into play to scan the newest visitor to their dimension. Everyone was currently in one of the basement storage rooms of the Mihama home not far from Azuma High School; Chiyo had converted it into a personal lab like Elizabeth Wakefield – who had come over from Sweet Valley to help out – did out of an underground cave in the back yard of her own family home. "Well, you were right about what happened to this version of Lum-san, Ōsaka-san," she then said. "All her soul IS in there . . . but because of the trauma she's been through, she hasn't really been able to bring herself back together again. Part of her doesn't want to, either."

"Why is that?" Takino Tomo then asked.

Chiyo hummed. "Lum-san, how would you feel if Ataru-san crushed your horns?" she then asked the Redet Lum who was native to this dimension.

The Oni winced. "I'd want to die, Chiyo-chan," she said. On meeting the members of the Azuma Gang – atop Ayumu, Chiyo, Tomo and Yomi, there were Sakaki Kiyomi (_**Lady Lofting**_, the "All-Speaker" who could converse with all animal species), Kagura Michiko (_**Caltrop**_, an empath and armed/unarmed urban warfare specialist known more popularly as the "Deadliest Woman Alive"), the younger group's homeroom teacher Tanizaki Yukari (_**Wild Rider**_, a technokinetic who specialised in "hot-rodding" ground cars into demonic machines that could go supersonic), Kagura's former homeroom teacher Kurosawa Minamo (the _**Amphibian**_, one of many who could survive underwater as well as in atmosphere) . . . and the strangest of the whole lot, Chiyo's own father Mihama Kenji (or _**Ghost Walker**_, a being who can literally enter people's dreams) – Lum had been taken quite aback by how far and wide Ataru went to get pretty girls Gifts (Kenji got his own Gift thanks to a gushing Chiyo, who had dragged him to Yiziba right after her own Gifting).

Speaking of which – much to Lum's wide-eyed shock – Kenji was currently in his "Chiyo-chichi" cat-like humanoid form. Trying not to stare at him, the Oni then took a deep breath as she turned back to her young host. "While I hope I'd never do anything to make Darling do _**that**_ to me, I can guess – given what this one went through – that she just didn't want to give her Darling any chance to escape her forcing him to admit that he loved her," the Oni added. "Given what was happening at the same time . . . "

"It was a weapon thrust into that Ataru-kun's hand. And he used it," Minamo – known more popularly as "Nyamo" to her students – then noted.

Ataru – who was relaxing with some tea beside Chiyo's father – nodded. "No family, no friends, believing Lum betrayed him – while still deep down believing she wasn't going to go that far – and then this guy shows up with a possible way out. A way out that would humiliate and cower the Oni once and for all time. And when he was about to take it, he gets shot down by Benten. Next thing, he's turned into a girl. And a _**Battle Doll**_ atop that!" A sigh. "All the dreams shattered at that very moment. And it was ultimately instigated by Lum's presence in his life." He shrugged. "If that happened to me – and if I didn't have the advantages I had now – I'd do it."

Lum winced. Ten, fortunately, was asleep against the side of Chiyo's dog Tadakichi-san in the latter's bedroom on the second floor. "So what did happen to this Rupa guy anyway?" Molly Hecht then asked. "That was one mean ki blast this girl gave him."

"I had him teleported back aboard his ship, then sent a note to the captain explaining what happened to him and why," Elizabeth stated. "I warned him that if Rupa's great-grandfather came by to make matters worse, it would be viewed as the trigger of a Mother of All Fight Scenes. He got the hint." As the others ruefully chuckled, she sighed. "Well, this is as far as we can help her without getting her to the Cave and letting the Crystal have her way with her. Wouldn't you agree, Chiyo-chan?"

A nod. "Hai, Elizabeth-san. There's really nothing more we can do for her." Chiyo then gazed on the unmoving doll on the examination table. "Poor Lum-san . . . "

Suddenly, a fireplace off to one corner of the room – which had a portal tall enough for an adult male to walk into without ducking, Lum had noted when she had been invited into Chiyo's laboratory sometime earlier – suddenly flared to life as a woman in a golden-brown cloak appeared. "Sorry to intrude!" Hermione Granger then said as she moved to pull off the hood from her head. "So what's this?" she then asked.

"A version of Lum from Tariko's home universe," Elizabeth said. Lum was quick to sense a slight chill that fell over the room between the Californian and the just-arrived witch from Britain. "She was saved before dying by Destructo and sent here."

"Any potential traps?" Hermione asked in a slightly cold voice.

"None, of course. Just as I assumed you didn't find with Tariko herself."

"Of course not."

"Okay! Okay! Knock it off, you two!" Yukari then cut in. "Honestly! Do Collins-sensei and McGonagall-sensei put up to that between you two?"

Elizabeth and Hermione both blushed at the young teacher's scolding. An amused chuckle then escaped the transformed Mihama Kenji. "They're fighting two millennia of rivalry that started when their first selves were twin sisters at the Dawn of Power disagreeing over how metahumans would learn how to master their abilities, Yukari-san. Much that Elizabeth-san found love in a lovely young witch like young Ginny-chan and Hermione-san still keeps firm ties to the normal world despite wizarding Britain's best efforts to break those ties, they do know how to keep things on an even keel when they have to."

"Yeah! Give it a rest, you two!" Jessica then stated as Ryūnosuke came down with some snacks she had been making in the kitchen. "People are pretty much set in their ways – amazing as it is for ME to say that about US! – and they won't budge when they get their Gifts. Give it a rest and wait for the first generation born from us to come! Once they start showing their own unique Gifts, you can settle it then!"

Lum perked. She did know that one of the odd quirks about They Who Must Never Be Named was that children born from a local Gifted couple NEVER inherited the Gifts from their parents. She never understood why. And people were just too scared of Them to try to kidnap un-Gifted children to find out what made them tick. Not only was it a ghastly thing to do to defenceless _children_, it would virtually GUARANTEE a Mother of All Fight Scenes on the idiot government that tried to organise such a thing. Given the truth of what had instigated the near-holocaust Uru had experienced over two centuries before, the Oni warlord's daughter didn't need to imagine how many of Them would go out to save any helpless children from their world who were in the clutches of some warped mad scientist moving to dissect them. "Why is that, Jessica-san?" she then asked.

"Well, it's because native-born Yizibajohei came into being on a planet that's just inundated with mesonium radiation, Lum-san," Chiyo replied. "Right from the moment of conception, a native-born Yizibajohei is bombarded with low levels of Grade One mesonium particles – what's often called 'diamond meson' – since the outer surface of the Great Crystal of Power is only a hundred kilometres under their feet." As Lum – who had winced on hearing the demonym for her hosts' adopted homeworld – nodded in understanding, Chiyo then sighed. "Since mesonium responds to the very _**soul**_ of the person it inhabits, when the attitude started to develop amongst native Yizibajohei that salvation lay within getting a Gift from the Great Crystal – _**and only from the Great Crystal!**_ – people's bodies were locked in a 'normal' state even if they were born from two meta parents. Only when they're exposed to the Crystal can such children get their own Gifts." A smirk. "That's why the Weaponeer's ideas of bringing people from other worlds to Yiziba actually proved prophetic in the long term."

"The Weaponeer?" Lum asked.

"A master armourer," Kagura stated as she nodded thanks as Ryūnosuke handed her a cup of tea. "The last version of her – she lived in the time of Redet Danu – was a girl. She was descent from the people who tried to create power-dampening mechanisms to control the metahumans appearing in the Dawn of Power. She was . . . "

"A radical. Even for a Yizibajohei," Regina finished.

"Why?" Lum wondered after another slight flinch.

"Because she was the first to predict Destructo's possible emergence from the Crystal, Lum," Ataru then breathed out. "Over the years, the various Weaponeers were driven to try to understand WHY the whole Dawn of Power had occurred like it did. They did all sorts of experiments, allied with a ton of groups and individuals, got readings on almost everyone on the planet at various states of life . . . and eventually, by the time it came to the last Weaponeer to live, Nematu Rapaga, a very ugly conclusion had been reached." A smirk. "The Yizibajohei, as a race, were slowly dying out."

Silence.

More silence.

Still more silence.

And then . . .

"Um, what's causing it?" Lum then asked.

"It's a simple lack of a desire to have kids, Lum," Jessica stated.

Lum gaped. "Unfortunately so," Elizabeth stated. "Since the Dawn of Power, Yiziba has suffered from a tilted gender imbalance. More men than women. The various Weaponeers – and my own line as well as my friends in the Circle of Thought, not to mention Hermione's line – came to realise that as time went on and the passion for fight scenes grew, males on Yiziba became _addicted_ to it. To the point where everything else was set by the wayside. Including the desire to seek a potential mate to bear the next generation." As Lum gaped at the Californian, the elder Wakefield twin shrugged. "Because of that and thanks to there being a much lower number of non-fighting males – the Nameless and lines like Ataru's, for example – available to choose from, females had far less opportunities to seek out mates to start families. That contributed to an even-downward birthrate to the point where Yiziba's population – which was at a stable and sustainable level of six hundred million two millennia ago after the Dawn – had dropped to just over the hundred million mark by the day Ataru himself was Gifted."

"And Nematu-sensei believed that if it ever got below TEN million, Destructo will then come," Chiyo added. "Because if he doesn't, the Great Crystal could then fracture and potentially EXPLODE!" As Lum gasped on hearing that, the young prodigy from Azuma High School then shrugged. "Which would scatter hyper-charged mesonium fragments all over the local cluster. Which would spread a 'metahuman plague' to dozens of races."

"Hence, some of the stranger prophecies when it comes to Destructo," Hermione stated. "Some came to believe after Nematu released some of her theories over the news nets that if Destructo came out of the Crystal, he would DESTROY it and trigger a galaxy-wide Dawn of Power on every planet in close range of Yiziba." As Lum winced, the wand witch-turned-magical meta breathed out. "But I doubt it'll go that far. Looking through Tariko's memories showed that Destructo – who was ironically a man from that Earth – simply was determined to get as many people Gifted as possible. And because of some weird sense of urgency, he decided he just wouldn't be nice about it."

Lum considered that. "So Darling always went after girls . . . "

"To help bring the gender balance back to normal," Nyamo stated. "Atop that, he was also inspired, ironically, by your very own ancestor, Lum-chan. Did you know that Danu and Lireta had TWENTY CHILDREN before they passed away?" As Lum gasped, the physical education teacher then smiled. "It's true. Danu – because she WAS an outsider and not fully indoctrinated in Yiziba's ways – was willing to keep a firm leash on her husband whenever the urge to go beat up someone crawled up his spine."

"Which you won't have to worry about with Ataru," Jessica stated. "Coyote was always a pretty laid-back sort of guy unless someone picked a fight with him first. He's told you that he doesn't dig death scenes, right?" As Lum grinned and nodded, the Charging Belle of the Heavens winked. "Well, much that I can understand why you'd want to hang onto him, you don't have to go so far. Not like you were at the start of things."

"True." Lum then perked. "Hey, wait a minute! If all of you were Gifted and weren't made to forget Darling, why didn't you charge in to rescue him when news of the Tag Race came out? The whole world's media were out in force when we came to Earth!"

"They put a magical news blackout on Tomobiki just before you came," Hermione stated. "Near as we can figure, when they blanked out Ataru's mind, the Men In Black and their friends in the International Confederation of Wizards believed there were others out there like him . . . but since they didn't get that information in time before Ataru was made 'normal,' they decided to just play a game of blind man's bluff and hope that none of us would come looking for him. Hence, the reason no one outside a ten kilometre radius of the Moroboshi home ever really concerned themselves with what happened despite the 'world oil-theft' incident. A mixture of a forget-me spell and a notice-me-not charm keyed into the ley lines of the Earth." A smirk. "Pity that when Elle sent out her wedding invitations, she learned about Ataru's friendship with Ayumu. Once she came to snap Ataru's memories back on-line, she got rid of the magical field. That's when everyone on the planet learned of the Tag Race and everything else."

She thumbed the dozing Kansai native nearby. As the others all laughed, the current incarnation of the Goddess Who Walks Amongst Men then woke up. "Huh? What's so funny, guys?" she asked as she looked around before smiling as Ryūnosuke handed her some tea.

"Hey, Ōsaka! Where did your invite to Ataru-kun's and Elle's marriage went?" Yomi then asked as a sparkle of mischievousness flashed in her eyes.

Ayumu hummed. "Well, it went to my family's old house in Wakayama, of course. We didn't move to Kōbe until I was in second grade of elementary school."

Silence.

More silence.

Still more silence.

And then . . .

"_**DAMN IT, ŌSAKA! JUST BE ŌSAKA!**_"

That was a growing Tomo, who then jolted as others in the room – save for a confused Lum, who was wondering what the joke was all about – began to laugh . . .

* * *

The Moroboshi home, sometime later . . .

"_**WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT . . .?**_"

Shinobu nodded. "It's true. Ataru-kun got his memories back six months ago while we were all in the hospital on Uru. And it's all because he's been living on ANOTHER PLANET all this time! A planet the Oni and everyone else _**are scared to death of**_!" She lowered her head. "He's going back to this world – it's called Yiziba – soon. He's been struck off the nominal rolls at the school and the Emperor arranged to have Ataru-kun declared an emancipated minor just before we got back to Earth from Uru."

Ataru's parents were gaping at her, and then they exchanged looks before they both looked down. "Why . . .?" Kinshō then tearfully moaned. "Why did he run away . . .?"

"I don't know. But he has a cousin – a girl named Hana Tariko – who's now the Matriarch of your clan." As Kinshō hissed and Muchi gaped, Shinobu added, "She also arranged to have Lum taken off the nominal rolls at the school. When she came to school this morning with Tariko-san, Lum didn't seem to mind at all that she was leaving the place." She squeezed her eyes closed. "I think that Ataru-kun promised her something to make her overcome her fear of this Yiziba place so she can go with him. And once they're gone, you have no son in the house. Or future daughter-in-law."

Kinshō blinked, and then she shuddered. "Dear . . . " she then moaned as she looked hopefully at her husband. "Do you know of a Tariko . . .?"

A shake of the head. "No. Never heard of her. Then again, I never really cared to keep track of all Okā-san's relatives." As Kinshō hissed again in hearing him mention his late mother – Shinobu knew Muchi's mother Nagaiwakai never approved of his marrying the former Yamaguchi Kinshō, but not much beyond that – he sighed. "He's gone again. Just like Kaeru-chan disappeared. And he won't come back . . . "

Shinobu's heart broke on seeing her former boyfriend's parents suffer like this. Oh, yes, she knew that there were times when they fervently wished they never had started a family in the first place – and yes, there were times that Kinshō had lamented on that within earshot of Ataru – but to strike back by literally _**running away from home**_ and never striving to do anything to contact his parents to inform them he was okay . . . and to do it _**willingly**_? That was beyond ghastly! And now that somehow, someway, Ataru managed to get the help of the _**Imperial Palace**_ – which was guaranteed to make Mendō balk from interfering, which would cut out any support to the Stormtroopers or anyone else who would try to stop this – to literally walk out of this house . . .!

"What about the Men In Black?" she then asked. "Could they help? They did it when they found him a month before the Tag Race! They can do it again!"

Ataru's parents perked, and then Kinshō sighed. "The man who hypnotised Ataru with that neuraliser device was murdered five months ago." As Shinobu gasped, Ataru's mother then added, "So were several others. Both in the Men In Black and that magical group that helped get our son back. Their bodies were literally decomposed by some sort of fast-acting super-poison; they were dead within minutes." As Ataru's former girlfriend winced on hearing that, Kinshō then breathed out. "I thought it was just coincidence that this happened, but now that you just learned he was on _another planet_ all these years . . . " She shuddered. "Could they have done it . . .?"

"I think so," Shinobu answered. "It turns out that these Yizibajohei – as they call themselves – are all metahumans of one sort or another. Like the War Hawks and the Übermenschen from World War Two." As Ataru's parents gaped, she added, "Several of them came to school today. One of them has the power to literally warp Reality itself with but a thought. Another one is like Superman. And . . . " She shuddered. "Even _Ryūnosuke-kun_ is one of them! She can make energy claws out of her hands that can slice through anything! There were some others, too. All girls, all our age, both Japanese and foreigners! Supposedly, Ataru-kun's been travelling to and from this Yiziba place to help girls – and ONLY girls! – the chance to get powers. He was actually interested in helping me get a 'gift' as well when he came to town . . . "

"Then you can try to get to him and bring him back!" Kinshō snapped. "He still cares for you, Shinobu-chan! You can make that idiot come back here . . . "

"Why would Darling want to come back to a loveless home?"

Everyone gasped, and then they turned to see Lum stepping down from the upper floor. "Lum-chan!" Kinshō cried out in relief as she got up and tried to hug her. "Please! You've got to help us get that idiot boy back to this house . . .!"

_KK-ZZARK!_

"Don't touch me, _**child abuser**_!" the Oni snarled after letting Ataru's mother have it with a concentrated bolt of bio-electricity, which blasted her back into the living room to crash into the living room table. "Darling's right! You are nothing more than a selfish bitch who doesn't care about anything else save yourself! I'm glad he's going back to Yiziba where he'll be away from you! And make sure you _**grow old and die alone**_, of course! Both of you!" As Kinshō croaked out on hearing THAT, Lum then smiled. "I'm just here to get mine and Ten-chan's stuff! We won't be living here anymore, so don't bother trying to plead your case! Oh, Shinobu . . . "

Shinobu perked . . . and then she blinked as Lum tossed an envelope into her lap. "What's this?" she demanded as she gazed once more at the Oni.

"Open it and find out."

Shinobu opened it . . . and then gaped in horror on seeing the torn pictures – of both herself and herself with Ataru! – falling out of the envelope. "Wh-wha . . .?"

Lum smirked. "You really were stupid, trying to capture a _**Yizibajohei**_ of all things to make him do as you wanted! But then again, that's always been your problem, Miyake! Always assuming things and never getting the whole story about what's going on! Right from the day you promised you'd marry Darling . . . and then _**abandoned him**_ when he needed a friend the most! Then again, you _**never**_ were his friend!" She turned to head back upstairs before pausing. "Oh, one other thing, Miyake. I have a message for you from Darling." She glared at the other girl. "'You're a stranger to me.' Sayonara!"

And with that, she headed upstairs, going once more into Ataru's bedroom and slamming the door closed behind her. Shinobu remained still, stunned that Ataru had done THAT to her, and then she began to cry as Ataru's father moved to help his wife . . .

* * *

"Darling, were you pleased by my actions?"

Ataru sighed as the real Lum – who had been busy in the bedroom getting all her things packed; Elizabeth was there with a probability altering field to make sure the people in the living room didn't realise what was going on – closed up the carryall bag she had brought from her ship to get her things. "Yes, Lum. You did perfectly," he said as he gently squeezed the battle doll's shoulder, and then he kissed her cheek.

Lum smiled as the doll's cheeks reddened . . .

* * *

Downtown Tomobiki, the Toranoseishin Finances tower . . .

A knock. "Hana-sama?"

"Hai?"

"Yumoa-sama is here to see you."

"Send him in."

The door then opened to allow a handsome man with mixed Oriental and Occidental features to walk into the room. Dressed in his normally-impeccable Savile Row business suit, Yumoa Reigi – who was chief of operations for the main part of the Inshin Group, the small keiretsu that was owned by the Moroboshi family through both the surviving elder son of Moroboshi Nagaiwakai and a trust fund created in the will of the late matriarch of the Tenchiaiki Jūkazoku for the use of her surviving grandson when he finally became of age – could only smile as he prepared to meet his new top boss.

Thinking of said trust fund, Reigi could only smirk. What had been set aside in Nagaiwakai's will for her only surviving grandson had been fought over between Ataru's parents and Toranoseishin Finances – in effect, between the former Yamaguchi Kinshō and Yumoa Reigi – for the last five years, especially in the wake of Ataru's surprising return from wherever he had been living at a year before.

Just a month before ALIENS came along to totally wreck the man's life.

Well, hopefully soon, it would be all set right . . .

. . . and that "city-slicker" – to borrow the late Moroboshi Nagaiwakai's derisive nickname for her daughter-in-law – would be broke forever.

And WITHOUT a child to attempt to marry to that Oni monster . . .!

Clearing his throat, Reigi adjusted his glasses, and then he bowed to the woman whose back was turned to him. "You wished to see me, Hana-sama?"

"Yes, I did," a young woman's voice he didn't recognise answered from behind the high-backed chair. "I take it you got the message from the Imperial Palace?"

He nodded. "Hai. The Heavenly Sovereign has declared you to be the new Matriarch of the Moroboshi of Mutsu-no-kuni. That did strike me as a little odd; normally, a Council for the Succession would have been called and held to elect a new Matriarch."

"Well, if you had actually taken the time to contact Ataru during the period he was living with those useless fools he was forced to acknowledge as his parents over the last year – especially in the last five months since he was declared an emancipated minor and struck off the _koseki_ of the branch of his family here in Tomobiki . . . which you all KNEW OF, by the way! – he might have actually acknowledged that sort of tradition and allowed it to happen," that voice said. "But you didn't. Even after His Majesty saw to it all the shit the Men In Black and the International Confederation of Wizards did to Ataru before the Oni came to this world was reversed, you did NOTHING! To say His Majesty was _**most displeased**_ by the lack of action any of you made towards Ataru ever since he was FORCED back into that loveless home is putting it lightly. Nothing that selfish bitch Ataru was once forced to call a mother had legal weight in law because the MIBs' wizarding friends were so sloppy in the first place! So he was more than happy to agree with Ataru's idea to allow a newcomer – selected by him and him alone – to take over as Matriarch of the Clan . . . and become Ataru's adopted sister. Thus freeing him to return to his real home. The only home he's EVER known!"

Reigi gaped. "But . . . where on Earth's that? Why on Earth didn't he try to get in contact with us over the years? We were all worried about him!"

"You've forgive me if I take that admission with a grain of salt."

Silence.

"Besides, Ataru wasn't ON Earth for the nine years he was gone," she added.

More silence.

"_What_ . . .?" Reigi eeped.

"The file on the desk. Open it."

He looked at the desk between him and his new clan matriarch . . . and then focused on the folder lying there. Reaching for it, he opened it . . . and then gaped. "Ataru . . .!" he then gasped. "When were these pictures taken? By who?"

"Over the last ten years across Japan from Naha to Wakkanai. Not to mention places all over Earth," the woman behind the chair then stated. "As for who took them, it was a mixture of people across the planet. Here in Japan, the pictures came from both the Ministry of Justice and the Public Security Intelligence Agency. Both groups that could have been contacted by either yourself or your guardian to determine if agents from either agency had seen Ataru over the last ten years. In America, it was the Federal Bureau of Investigations. In Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. In Britain, it was the Security Service. Agencies in other countries had spotted him as well. Always either by himself or in the company of young girls of equal age to him. Nothing illegal happened with these contacts – though foreign agencies were wondering what the hell was a KID doing ALL ALONE in their countries without any sign of his parents! – and yet NEVER ONCE did anyone sit back and put it together. Until five months ago when Ataru himself admitted to what he's been doing over the years to the Emperor. All it took was a quick call to various capital cities . . . and _voilà_!"

She then turned around, making Reigi gape. "Who ARE you . . .?" he gasped.

The brown-haired, brown-eyed woman in the evergreen halter-top-with-turtleneck collar blouse and form fitting pants uniform with golden flowers on her chest and up and down her legs smirked. "Six months ago in a dimension parallel to this one – starting a few days from now in your timeline – I WAS Moroboshi Ataru," Hana Tariko then replied. "But thanks to a whole slew of aliens who were scared of their own shadows, my life was wrecked when a person who was NOT any of my uncle's wards or anyone else in this town of _**hypocrites**_, _**back-stabbers**_ and _**traitors to the human race**_ tried to help me out of a jam. Unfortunately, the gender-reassignment was unavoidable; when I was bleeding and dying in my own bedroom thanks to Shigaten Benten, I was sent to a place that naturally rebuilt me as a woman. But I got over it. And now I've been given a chance to start my life anew here in THIS dimension. And help my counterpart here – the very boy none of YOU ever raised a damned FINGER to try to help find for over NINE YEARS, much less never bother to CONTACT in the year following his 'safe return home!' – finally put this sorry place behind him so he can go back to his REAL home." She then smirked. "Oh! It's on a planet three hundred light-years to the galactic east of here. Course 081 mark 7 if you're a Trekker. Of course, I don't know if you are one – or if your counterpart was one in my universe before al-Qā'idah killed him – so I can't say."

Her eyes then narrowed. "And truthfully, I don't give a shit either which way."

As the older man – Reigi was in his late twenties – turned a sickly grey from hearing THAT avalanche of information, Tariko then sighed. "Now, since I AM now the Matriarch of this sorry excuse of a family, I'm going to be running things MY way from now on. Which means that whatever support your guardian – and you'll forgive me, of course, if I don't call him 'uncle' since he was never an uncle to me in my dimension and he sure as hell wasn't Ataru's uncle in this dimension! – is giving to Moroboshi Muchi and Yamaguchi Kinshō is to STOP right now. All their bank accounts are to be drained out and the funds turned over to them immediately. I don't know what happens when you throw out untrustworthy customers from this institution, so I'll leave the details to you. But make it DAMN clear to those two child-abusers that if they make ANY noise about their being treated that way, the TRUTH of how they treated Ataru will be plastered broadside across the country. Let them swallow THAT for a change."

He slowly nodded. "H-h-Hai, Hana-sama . . . "

"Good," Tariko stated. "As for all of your guardian's wards still in school, make it clear to them: They better work their butts off to get scholarships to get their sorry asses into university . . . 'cause they'll be _**cut off**_ once they turn twenty. I know you were able to reverse the memory-suppressions the MIBs and the ICW unleashed on them; you got the _Saikō Jinseijutsu_ to do that as soon as she sensed what was going on." She shook her head. "And like you, they did NOTHING for Ataru, so they'll GET nothing in return!" As Reigi winced from that declaration, Tariko stated, "If their guardian wants to pay for their way with his own money, I don't care. But not a single yen leaves the Inshin Group just to make them live comfortable lives. I never got the chance to live a comfortable life. Neither will any of them. Understood?"

He paled. Several of Komeru's wards were students at Butsumetsu Girls' High School here in town. All of them had been either orphaned or abandoned by their birth families, so they really had nothing to support them outside Komeru's own mercy. And while the books had been hazed up a little between what Komeru had paid himself for them and what had been given to them by Toranoseishin, it had been winked at in the past. Clearly, this woman – was she really a version of Ataru from another DIMENSION of all places? – wasn't interested in being nice to any of them. "Hai," he breathed out, imagining the looks on the faces of people like Seiryōkuteki Tanoshii and her friends when they got the news. "They'll be informed immediately, Hana-sama."

"Good," Tariko said. "Now, I'll be living up at Rishiri-tō once I get my wardrobe built up. Just because I'm off the coast of Hokkaidō doesn't give any of you people the right to allow things to go back to the way they were. The accounts belonging to Ataru's _**incompetent**_ parents are to be closed by end of business today. Everything else is to be done as quickly as possible. And if you get any stupid ideas of asking the _Saikō Jinseijutsu_ to try to do something to me . . . " She then smirked . . .

. . . as she raised a rather BIG diamond – Reigi was quick to recognise it as one of the large diamonds Komeru had discovered years ago while in the Andes Mountains of Peru – in one of her hands . . . and then with a casual squeeze of the fist, she _**crushed**_ the hardened mineral of carbon into tiny fragments of diamond dust!

"I trust I don't need to say anything more about this?" the woman who was now the current incarnation of the Belle of the Wilderness, _**Wildflower**_, then stated.

Reigi had turned sheet-white on seeing that awesome display of strength. "H-h-Hai!" he sputtered out as he tried not to soil his underwear.

"Get out of my sight."

"Please excuse me, Hana-sama!"

And in a flash, he was gone. Watching him go, the just-Gifted Tariko – she had been taken to Yiziba by Hermione Granger an hour before to be finally Gifted and be turned into a fully-organic being after six months as a synthetic Battle Doll – smirked as she moved to brush off her hands before turning around to gaze once more at the city beyond the picture windows of her top-floor private office. Looking at the small dot of orange-and-black as it hovered over what had been her "brother's" home long ago, Tariko could only smirk as she watched the small ship finally rise into the sky.

"Have a safe trip home, Lum," she then whispered as she sat back in her chair. "Hope that jerk Rupa or his senile old man don't try to chase you down there . . . "

* * *

On the streets of Tomobiki, people perked on hearing that distant whine from the area above the Moroboshi home, and then they turned to look up in the sky . . .

. . . before the sharper-eyed of the lot picked up a familiar circular shape rising high into the sky, soaring up past the clouds overhead to disappear.

"_**LUM-SAN! DON'T GO! COME BACK! LUM-SAN! COME BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK . . .!**_"

As the useless pleas of one Aisuru Satoshi echoed from the front lawn of Tomobiki High School – that accompanied by the mass wailing of other boys who were watching a moment in history they had personally hoped NEVER to see anytime soon! – the crowds on the streets turned to gaze once more at the sky to see the most famous visitor to their once-quiet corner of Japan finally depart from Tomobiki.

And while some simply turned back to their business, others wondered.

Would that beautiful, naïve and joyful girl from another world ever come back . . .?

* * *

Ascending into orbit . . .

"Will we ever see them again, Lum-chan?"

Lum sighed. "I don't know, Ten-chan," she said as she kept her eyes on her ship's controls. On the view screen ahead of her, a departure angle camera view of the Moroboshi home was displayed, the zoom at maximum magnification. By the time the ship got to the ten kilometre mark above ground level, the front door had opened, revealing a familiar girl in a school seifuku, followed by two older people in normal clothes. Staring at her beloved's parents – only in genetics now – and the woman who had pretended to be Ataru's girlfriend just to make him stay on Earth, Lum then scowled before she reached over to flick off the view screen. "But it probably won't be for some time to come. Maybe when the people in Tomobiki learn now to be nicer to those who might suffer from bad luck . . . " A smirk. "Or child abuse."

"Ya mean like Tariko-onēchan?" Ten asked as his cheeks reddened.

Lum smirked. Hermione Granger had teleported Tariko back to Lum's ship after her time at Hogwarts and on Yiziba to give the latter the chance to talk to her brother briefly before he himself would go back to his cabin on the northern polar continent to relax and unwind from his many months away from his adopted homeworld amongst people who had seen him as either a convenient town jester or a scapegoat to blame whatever strange thing had hit the place on. On seeing the Battle Doll that had once been her own Lum, Tariko had broke down and wept, though Jessica had been there to provide some comfort for the still-suffering traveller from another dimension. While Lum herself had suggested that her counterpart from that dimension be allowed to stay with her own Darling, Ataru had warned her that it would ultimately do little good to have that other Lum around Earth, where people could see her and still pretend that nothing had happened. Even more so, Rupa might try to make a grab for her instead . . . and given the doll's reaction on seeing the Yaminokuni prince earlier in the day, it simply would not do to allow an intergalactic incident to occur in the range of millions of defenceless people.

"Yeah," she breathed out.

Thinking about that, Lum then gazed over her shoulder at the doll with her face. Said synthezoid was seated in a guest chair at the aft end of the pilotage, still neutral in demeanour. She was dressed in Oni-style clothing Elizabeth had synthesized for her, a cheongsam-like dress similar to the model Lum's own mother normally wore. It had surprised the real Lum that her counterpart hadn't really opened up when she had seen Tariko for the first time in quite a while . . . though Elizabeth had warned that in their last encounter over the airwaves between Uru and Yiziba, Tariko had _**divorced**_ her own Lum, calling her every obscenity in the book and practically promising that the Uru of that universe would be made to suffer for what they had done to the girl born a boy named Moroboshi Ataru. Which that other Lum had later witnessed first-hand.

"Are you okay?" she then asked.

"I am fine," the doll calmly answered.

Lum sighed before she turned back to guide her ship into the mesosphere over fifty kilometres above the ground. By then, the sky around her ship had faded from a bright afternoon blue to the pitch black of deep space. As she tapped controls, she then blinked on noting what was in higher orbit over the planet, at an altitude of six hundred kilometres overhead, just at the lower edge of the exosphere. "Yaminokuni royal yacht," she mused as her ship's on-board war book identified the much larger vessel as she guided her ship to head east over the Pacific while climbing altitude. "Let's hope they don't get it into their heads to try to chase me back to Uru."

"I should have killed him when I had the chance."

Lum turned to gaze once more on the doll with her face. "If you did that, there would be a war," she stated. "You know Darling wouldn't want that."

The doll blinked, and then she curtly nodded. "Yes. Darling would not want that."

"Tariko, too," Lum then reminded her.

A shudder. "Tariko does not want me."

A sigh. "Well, you didn't give her much of a choice, didn't you?"

The doll seemed to think that, and then she lowered her eyes. "No."

"Well, give her time. She's been through far worse things than you . . . and unlike you, she was never prepared to deal with such life-changing events. Maybe in the future – once you're organic and Gifted, of course – you'll get back together."

"Would you take a Gift?"

Lum blinked, and then she sighed. "I don't know . . . "

She then perked on hearing a beeping noise from her console. Tapping a control, she then blinked on seeing Elizabeth Wakefield's face on her view screen, the other girl seated in what looked like the bridge of some sort of ship. "Hello, Lum," the blonde, turquoise-eyed Californian said with a smile. "So far, your would-be 'fiancé' seems to be behaving himself and not trying to chase you down. I guess I got to them."

"Well, my other-self sure made an impression," Lum said as she thumbed behind her.

"True. Well, once you're over Midway Island, we'll let you dock aboard the _Discovery_. Once you're here, I'll take you as far as Katte." That was the outermost planet of the Oniboshi star system, a Class C planet about the same size as Pluto. "Once you're inbound for home, we'll skip over to Yiziba to drop Ataru off. Jessica wants to get something there for you; it's an old keepsake of Danu's that you might want."

Lum gasped. "Really?" A nod. "Okay . . . "

Another toggle flashed. "Who's that?" Ten asked before he floated over to tap a control. "Hello! This is Lum's ship, Ten speaking!" he called out.

"Ten-sama!" a wailing voice called out. "By Your Holy Cousin! We saved you!"

Lum gaped, and then she moaned. "Ōgi . . . "

* * *

Now approaching Lum's ship from the northwest . . .

"Mistress?"

"Yes, Katy?"

"Long distance sensors indicate a Kashin-class space battleship approaching from the direction of the Phentax system," the beautiful redhead with the blue eyes said as she looked over her shoulder at her creator. "Currently at the Jupiter orbit line."

"Activate all anti-ship defences at the Ceres line," Elizabeth stated. "We don't have to coddle these morons anymore now that they can't hold the PLANET hostage anymore."

"Done," Katy – Elizabeth had fashioned her head gynoid aboard the _Discovery_ in the image of the fembot from the famous "Kill Oscar" three-part cross-series episodes of the _Bionic Woman_ and the _Six Million Dollar Man_ – said as she tapped a control . . .

* * *

Lum's ship . . .

"Ōgi! What are you doing here?" Lum snarled.

"I've come to save you from the Great Evil, Lum-sama!" that unwelcome voice called back as the twisted face of Ōgi ot'ndai-Zkuhsbagh appeared on her main view screen, nearly crowding out the background image of the bridge of his own flagship. Lum had forgotten what name he had given that ship . . . and personally, she didn't give a damn at all about what that hunk of scrap was named. That it was now one of a VERY FEW number of combat ships left in the so-called "Army of Lum" – an army she gladly would _**disown**_ and _**disavow**_ every chance she good despite all of her father's pleas to the contrary – made her quite happy. "I heard the most hideous thing from my observers in the Holy City! It was by Your Own Grace that my flagship could respond right away to this diabolical threat the Great Evil has unleashed upon You and Your Holy Company . . .!"

"Yeah, it was a pity that your so-called 'flagship' wasn't at Phentax Twenty when the Weaver sent _**your**_ annihilation device home after she removed it from the Tomobiki Ginza!" Lum then snarled as lightning flashed over her body, that statement making the president of the Niphentaxian Union balk in shock. "By the way, Mister _dai_-Zkuhsbagh, I didn't appreciate learning that you had put MY LIFE in danger by planting a bomb of THAT size on Earth . . . WHICH YOU HAD NO RIGHT TO DO IN THE FIRST PLACE, YOU LIFELESS MANIAC! WHAT POSSESSED YOU TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT ANYWAY? HUH?"

Ōgi awked. "Lum-sama! It was to make sure Your Holy Self and Holy Company were protected from the minions of the Great Evil! He would never do anything to You or Your Holy Company if he knew that his actions would threaten millions of his own minions! They were everywhere! Even in the Holy City itself! We had no choice!"

Lum gaped at him for a moment as she tried to understand the convoluted logic that her "most faithful" had just spouted out, and then she shook her head. "You know, it's a pity that Darling's a little too kind-hearted at times!" she then snarled. "He should have got the Weaver to drop that bomb on YOUR HEAD!" As Ōgi gasped, the Oni warlord's daughter then added, "Maybe even better, REPLICATE it a few times to so that it could be dropped on your head AND destroy your worthless fleet AND destroy every colony you have! What better way to eliminate a race as USELESS as YOURS from the COSMOS?"

She then smirked as the anger within her – anger that had built up over the last six years since she received the horrid news of what happened to the Vosian capital city of Lecashuto thanks to the man she was gazing at right now, anger that had mixed with a sea of frustration after she had been told time and time again to NEVER speak of her so-called "most devout" to anyone, not even Ataru! – finally broke past a long-held taboo about speaking a certain planet's name in the open. "You want to know something, Ōgi?" she then thundered. "The _**Yizibajohei**_ have it right when they call races like yours 'same!' _**Same**_ thinking, _**same**_ stupid attitudes, _**same**_ daily boring lives day in and out . . . and NOBODY does ANYTHING to make it DIFFERENT!" As the crew on the bridge of Ōgi's ship screamed out on hearing their own "living goddess" speak the name of They Who Must Never Be Named, Lum then added, "Well, guess what, Ōgi? I've been scared of Darling's adopted race for years! And I just realised that I didn't have to be scared of a damned thing about the _**Yizibajohei**_!" She then growled on seeing Ōgi and his crew wail in fear. "_**STOP DOING THAT!**_" she bellowed out. "_**WHAT ARE YOU? COWARDS?**_"

"No, Lum," a welcome male voice called over the communications link. "Honest cowards would be _insulted_ to be compared to lifeless fools like this! Hell, the ONLY good Niphentaxian of the whole damned lot was _**Ganzo dai-Louc**_!" As the Niphentaxians screamed out on hearing the name of the hated "Arch-Heretic" who had advocated the total destruction of their own culture and society by taking their "robot" slaves away, Ataru then cackled. "At least I was more than pleased to help let that old man's fondest dream come true!"

"**_WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT . . .?_**"

That was a now red-faced Ōgi. "Oh, speaking of which, Mister _dai_-Zkuhsbagh!" Lum then snarled. "When were you going to get around to tell us about your SLAVES? Slaves that were actually _**bioroids**_? _**Sentient beings**_ that had EVERY damned right to self-determination that was allowed in the Galactic Federation in the first place? Did you honestly expect to keep that a secret from everyone forever?" As Ōgi tried to sputter out a response, Lum smirked as she crossed her arms. "Well, isn't that too bad! Practicing chattel slavery on a _**sentient species**_ is ground for EXPULSION from the Galactic Federation! Did you know that Lupica owes Darling a favour? I'll bet that's what he'll do to call the favour in! Not that ANYONE will miss YOU on Tahupraemiku! Much less any other planet in the PROPER member worlds of the Federation!"

"_**LUM-SAMA! STOP! YOU DON'T SEE HOW MUCH THE GREAT EVIL IS TURNING YOU AWAY FROM THE TRUTH! YOU KNOW HOW MUCH WE'VE NEVER LIED TO YOU!**_" Ōgi then wailed.

«_He's lost it, Lum!_»

Lum perked. "Yomi-san?"

«_He just doesn't want to see what you're telling him as the real truth, Lum-chan_,» the telepathic voice of Mizuhara Koyomi stated. «_Gods! His brain's a sewer-pit! All the disgusting dreams he's had about you . . . and Sakura-sensei and your friends . . . _»

"_**THERE!**_" Ōgi bellowed out. "_**YOU SEE, MY FRIENDS! EVEN IF HE ISN'T THERE TO HURT OUR GODDESS, THE GREAT EVIL STILL TRIES TO BLIND HER FROM THE HOLY TRUTH!**_"

«_Yomi, stop!_» Ataru then cut in. «_Get out of his head! Much that I don't want to do this, we've got no choice now_.» A cough. "My dear Madame Academician!"

Lum blinked in confusion. "Yes, Master Coyote?" Elizabeth called back.

"Much that I hate to impose on such a beautiful genius as yourself, I'm afraid this lifeless _same_ who _**insults**_ our dear friend – AND descendant of the eighteenth Lady Tempest of Yiziba! – by simply _**breathing**_ has gone too far!" Ataru then declared as all the people on Ōgi's ship cried out on hearing that their own precious "goddess" was actually a DESCENDANT of one of They Who Must Never Be Named. "While it will do me a world of good to see the scoundrel sames' ship blow up under their feet, I desire a personal opportunity to remove this scum of the universe from our claimed space around Earth!"

"**YOUR**_** SPACE?**_" Ōgi then howled. "_**MOROBOSHI! YOU SLIME! HOW DARE YOU CLAIM THIS SPACE AS YOURS? IT IS LUM-SAMA'S! ONLY LUM-SAMA'S! AND ONLY WILL BE LUM-SAMA'S!**_"

"Are you sure you don't want me to call the _Doctor_?" Elizabeth then mused.

A snort. "No. Much that the wonderful Doctor Death is more than willing to kill off those who have upset me TOO much, I do not wish to sully the hands of our good friend by exposing her to such _sameness_!" As the Niphentaxians all howled in mortal dread on hearing the battle-name of the most reviled heel on Yiziba – in her present form, the Herald of the Final Darkness, _**Doctor Death**_, was a girl from Long Island on New York named Margo Black who (save for hair colour) could be Elizabeth Wakefield's twin sister – Lum could only smirk on sensing the tidal wave of scorn escaping Ataru's voice on his saying that last word. "So if you don't mind, I'd like to borrow your ship's hypermatter gun for a moment so I can deliver a perfectly-prepared Illudium Kyu-Thirty-six Explosive Space Modulator unto the scoundrel's very own blood-soaked hands!"

"Oh, go ahead!" Elizabeth chirped. "Katy, help him, please!"

"Right away, Mistress," Katy called back.

"_**HAH!**_" Ōgi barked out in derision. "_**YOU DON'T EVEN **_**HAVE**_** SUCH A THING, MOROBOSHI! EVEN MORE SO, LUM-SAMA WILL NEVER ALLOW YOU TO DESTROY HER MOST DEVOUT! HER MOST LOYAL! HER MOST PASSIONATE AND MOST DETERMINED! WE WILL NEVER ALLOW YOUR EVIL TO . . .!**_"

He then blinked comically as a red object resembling a stick of dynamite – with a lit fuse! – then appeared in a flash of energy appeared in his hands. "Eh . . .?"

A second later, a flash of energy appeared in deep space as the link with Ōgi's ship – which was fast turning itself into a billowing sea of flaming wreckage as the anti-matter in the engines was allowed to break free of its containment and collide most uncontrollably with the surrounding positive matter – was cut.

"It's not an earth-shattering _kaboom!_ . . . but it's close enough," Ataru said.

Lum and Ten both blinked. "Wow . . .!" the latter breathed out.

"I thought you _hated_ death scenes, Darling," the former then whispered.

"I do," Ataru calmly replied.

Hearing that, the Oni blinked in surprise . . .

_**To be continued . . .**_

* * *

**WRITER'S NOTES:**

1) As I've done when I've used Sakaki and Kagura in my writings, they have the given names **Kiyomi** ("pure beauty") and **Michiko** ("child of a thousand beauties") respectively. For simplicity's sake, their family names are used in the narrative.

2) To explain Chiyo's father: He has the ability to assume the shape of anything he encounters in people's dreams. Since Sakaki's image of him as "Chiyo-chichi" is so strong, whenever Sakaki and Mr. Mihama are in the same room, he – unless he's paying _very_ close attention – ALWAYS changes shape into the cat-being. Of course – though Sakaki is mortified at this – Chiyo's father just winks and laughs at it.

4) People who've read the _AzuDai_ manga should recognise the joke of Ayumu "just being Ōsaka" from the first volume of the series.

5) **Yumoa Reigi** is a minor character from _The Senior Year_; he first appeared in the story "Sakura's Class Reunion."

6) Translations: **Keiretsu** – Grouping of Enterprises, the term used to identify a company group with interlocked business relationships and shareholdings as is common with the larger Japanese companies since the end of the Second World War; **Koseki** – The family registrar which serves a multitude of functions such as a record of births, deaths and marriages; **Voilà** – Derived from the French verb "voir" (to see/look), it is the word used to indicate something unknown at a distance from the speaker, as if saying "There! Look!"; **Saikō Jin****seijutsu** – Way of the Supreme Life, the in-house school of martial arts practiced by Ataru's family (as introduced in _The Senior Year_).

7) The **Council for the Succession** concept was introduced in _Long Way Home_. This is how the Moroboshi Clan elects a new leader when there is no living Matriarch to select a potential successor amongst the living granddaughters or granddaughters-in-law.

8) Niphentaxian family names are preceded by a spiritual prefix that indicates how high up a particular "church" the bearer is. Ōgi is addressed by the phrase "**ot'ndai**-Zkuhsbagh" as he is the supreme head and founder of the Church of Lum. To call him by the simple prefix "**dai**-Zkuhsbagh" is seen traditionally as a very gross insult amongst his race . . . hence his adoption of the Urusian forms of address (which stems from the Union Revolution fifty years after the Mother of All Fight Scenes) which use only the given name when addressing someone, even enemies or total strangers.

9) **Tahupraemiku** is the name I give to Lupica's home planet. In _The Senior Year_, I addressed that world as "Tōfunokoibito."

10) Fans of a certain quite-civilised Martian should recognise the references Ataru used when he sent the explosive from the _Discovery_ to Ōgi's flagship to wreck it.

* * *

**The Book of Pretty Girls_, Entry 1:_**

**_INFINITY_  
The Goddess Who Walks Amongst Men**

**Generation:** 26th  
**Age at Gifting:** 6 years, 2 months

**Real Name:** KASGUA Ayumu (also known as "ŌSAKA")  
**Relatives:** KASUGA Toru (_father_), KASUGA (_née_ MATSUOKA) Yuki (_mother_)  
**Affiliation:** Self, Coyote (_see Entry 0_), the Azuma Gang  
**Base of Operations:** Nakano Ward, Metropolis of Tōkyō, State of Japan  
**Alignment:** Face/Neutral  
**Identity:** On Yiziba, publicly known; in Japan, Ayumu is mostly known (despite people not bothering to remember her real name) by her peers and teachers at Azuma High School, but her being a Yizibajohei is not known to anyone on Earth.  
**Race/Culture of Birth:** Terran/Japanese  
**Place of Birth:** City of Wakayama, Wakayama Prefecture, State of Japan  
**Gender:** Female  
**Height:** 160 cm (5' 3")  
**Weight:** 43 kg (95 lb)  
**Eyes:** Brown-Grey  
**Hair:** Brown-Black

**Gifts:  
_Reality Warping:_** As her battle-name ominously implies, Infinity has the very power to literally bend the very fabric of Reality and negate the laws of physics to do practically anything that strikes her imagination. In previous incarnations, some have called this power "the new metahuman power per fight scene" capability, but the current Infinity – given that she's just a teenage girl who was never raised in the perpetual anarchy and seemingly endless fighting of Yiziba – sees the use of her gift as giving her the means to change things to whatever she would desire. Such changes are permanent and could only be shifted back either by Infinity or someone like her. She is not limited by magic, technology, distance – even **_intergalactic_** distances! – or any other types of blocks that could be thrown up to stop her. She can fly (in effect self-levitate), teleport between solar systems at transwarp speeds, survive in any known environment (with a personal life-bubble around her) and do anything she could ever desire to do. She is effectively only limited in the use of her power by both her imagination and prolonged mental fatigue from using her skills too much. Given that Ayumu does suffer from mild bouts of narcolepsy – which have become acute since she entered puberty – the fact that she often desires to simply go to sleep will stop her quite easily. It is possible to surprise Infinity and either overcome or injure her, but one has to be very quick and very lucky to do that.  
**_The Infinite Wave:_** Often when she needs to push out her powers to make a wide area-effect, Infinity unleashes what she calls her "Infinite Wave." At maximum power, it can blanket an Earth-sized planet within eight hours from the Wave being unleashed.  
**_Meta-True Senses:_** An extension of her reality warping ability gives Infinity a form of "meta-senses" which allows her to perceive anything in any dimension that attracts her attention. She could literally gaze through any form of magical, technological or psionic disguise, perceive ghosts and other non-corporeal spirits, note the shift of the space-time continuum and look at things many millions of kilometres away. Her hearing – augmented by a form of cosmic clairvoyance – is just as acute; the current Infinity was able to sense a crying girl her age from a planet over **_two hundred light years_** away from Yiziba shortly after she was just Gifted. She could also chat with different beings at different levels of omnipotence across the dimensional veils, though she normally doesn't bother such beings unless they "speak" to her first. With her powers, it is virtually IMPOSSIBLE to deceive Infinity whenever she casts her powers on a particular object of interest; using this ability, she could give the name, origin and history of any particular sentient being with just a few seconds' glance.  
**_Omnipotence Block:_** A special inhibitor the various incarnations of this line-name have used to keep themselves from evolving into true divinities, this block pretty much keeps Infinity grounded to the here-and-now. While it is fundamentally possible for any Infinity to evolve into true godhood in the mythological sense, the block ensures that any current incarnation of this being will live and die as a mortal. This block also ensures that the memories of the lives of previous incarnations – and what they experienced – cannot be passed down to the next bearer of this Gift.

**Equipment:  
_The Doll House:_** A pocket dimension which can be accessed by Infinity, the Doll House is a repository of un-moulded synthetic "dolls" created originally by the first Infinity after the Dawn of Power as a way to ensure the souls of un-Gifted children could be reborn as synthezoids so they could get their chance to face the Crystal and get their Gift to live their life. Manning this place are a small group of goblin-like workers that prepare the new doll once the spirit is projected into the House to be reborn. Two types of dolls created in the House are either "normal dolls" or "Battle Dolls" (the latter having the basic strength and invulnerability of an average FISS-type Yizibajohei without the flight or super-speed powers). Of course, Infinity herself can reach into the Doll House to pull out un-moulded dolls from it to merge with those she wishes to help, which she did with various members of the Young Guns.

**Personality:**

The nicknames bestowed on this line by those who know of them – even from worlds that fear hearing the planet name "Yiziba" – are many:

**_The God(dess) Who Walks Amongst Men._**

**_The Infinite One._**

**_The Cosmic All._**

**_The First Child of the Seekers' Forge_**.

**_The Heir(ess) of the First Race_**.

And many more . . .

But as the current Infinity would say it, all those titles are just "bleh!"

Kasuga Ayumu was the only child of a working family from the Kansai region of Japan who was blessed – or cursed – with a mind that works just differently than that of her fellow man. Because of that, even from an early age, she often daydreamed, forgot things at a drop of the hat, was great with certain types of riddles and often spouted out non sequiturs without even fully understanding what she was saying. It was that rather curious way of acting which attracted the attention of a young man her age who had moved to another planet light-years away and had come back to Earth after his own Gifting to begin his quest to help "pretty girls" get Gifts of their own.

Ayumu was the first.

And she became the greatest, most powerful of them all.

Unlike previous Infinities, Ayumu has gladly broken a lot of unofficial "rules" when it comes to using her powers to help other people. In effect rejecting the long-standing Yizibajohei belief that "one must never interfere in another's fight scene," Infinity has gladly used her powers and the Doll House to help various members of the Young Guns (a team of pre-teen metahumans who normally die from power burn-out before reaching adolescence) finally master their skills and grown into adulthood. One of those who benefitted from this was Ayumu's best friend in high school, Mihama Chiyo (now **Prodigy**_, see Entry 938_). When asked about this by native Yizibajohei who were surprised to see such a helpful First Child, Ayumu simply said, "If I didn't, who would?"

That attitude tends to drive a lot of the current Infinity's actions.

Personally, while she is quite close to Coyote – and can't forgive herself for not realising that he had been trapped and brainwashed in a place he hated for SEVEN MONTHS before a sheer stroke of luck saw her go to the planet Uru to save the Trickster of the Show from a life condemned to normalcy – Ayumu is willing to back off and let other girls who would want to get close to Moroboshi Ataru. Whether or not she herself might seek the chance to do a pillow scene with him depends on Ayumu's mood on the day she is asked such a question. As she once explained it, "He's my friend. He's my brother. I'd sure like him to be the father of my kids when I want to have them. But why think about that now? There's too many other things to worry about first."

No doubt, other girls who know of how close Infinity and Coyote are breathe a sigh of relief on knowing that the former is willing to allow others a chance with the latter.

But even this very kind-hearted woman has her limits.

Dread the day she becomes ANGRY.

As much as her kindness is infinite . . .

. . . so are all her OTHER emotions as well.

Take heed.


	6. The Belle of the Wilderness

Approaching the asteroid belt on course for Earth . . .

"Benten . . . are you sure you're alright?"

An amused chuckle escaped the raven-haired, grey-eyed woman currently at the pilotage station of the Neptunian royal yacht making its way towards the third planet of Sol. "I'm _fine_, 'Yuki!" Shigaten Benten said as she gazed in amusement at the crown princess of the Kingdom of Neptune-Triton. "I've never been better, in fact! Will you stop acting so skittish? What those three idiots did to me can't be changed back. My Gift isn't a metahuman physical power that can be taken away by Oblivion, you know." She tapped the side of her head. "It's all up here. And Oblivion can't touch it."

Oyuki gazed at one of her oldest friends, and then she sighed. "I'm sorry, Benten," the silver-haired, crimson-eyed Neptunian stated. "But given the suddenness of your Gifting – and that the Yizibajohei as a race view such forced Gifts with great distaste – that this happened to you will upset a lot of people. Lum's would-be husband being the primary one in this case." She sighed. "Oh, Lum-chan . . . "

"Chill, 'Yuki. Even if Ataru's been acting like an idiot for the last year or so, you SAW what was written in that Book of his," Benten stated as she tapped controls to allow the yacht to use local gravity fields to slingshot its way towards Earth. "He knew about Ōgi and his morons." A growl. "Fuckin' idiot! What the hell possessed him to put an ANTI-MATTER BOMB of all things in the middle of defenceless norms?"

Oyuki shook her head. "I doubt we'll ever learn the answer to that . . . "

A sensor alarm sounded off. "Mistress, lateral sensors are picking up the wreckage of a large battleship-class spacecraft to port," the dazed-looking raven-haired Seishin-Urusian girl at the main sensory station reported. "According to the emergency distress beacon, the craft was the _Spirit of Lum_. Flagship of the Army of Lum."

Benten and Oyuki blinked. "Ōgi's flagship?" the former asked, and then she slumped in her chair. "Someone wrecked Ōgi's flagship? And I didn't see it happen? Fuck!"

The sensor alarm sounded off again. "Mistress, sensors are picking up an approaching battleship-class spacecraft dead ahead of us," the woman at the sensory station then added. "Unknown configuration. ID beacon marks her as the Free Planetary State of Yiziba Starship _Discovery_. Owned by the Academician XXIX. Now approaching."

Benten and Oyuki blinked again. "Damn! Buildin' her own spaceships, huh?" the former then commented. "Lucky thing that girl who got Ataru Gifted with the power of Tuyuki picked an _Earth_ man! No previous Academician would ever build _spaceships_!"

"Yes, you are right about that," the latter stated. "Sugar?"

The grey-haired, grey-eyed Neptunian-Fukunokami hybrid girl standing at the main communications station turned to gaze dully at the princess of Neptune. "Yes?"

"Signal the _Discovery_ please. My compliments to the Lady Academician and please ask her if Lum-chan is currently aboard her ship at this time."

"At once," Hisaten Sugar, one of three senior students at the galactic middle school that Benten and Oyuki once attended with Lum and Ran, said as she tapped controls.

A second later, the spacious command bridge of a large and well-designed ship appeared on the main view screen in front of Benten's station. Standing on the screen was an exceptionally beautiful woman in the dark blue jumpsuit – the modified version that showed off one's shoulders and arms – with the white mortarboard hat insignia of the Great Sage of the Circle of Thought on her upper chest above her ample cleavage. As the girl stared in shock at the Fukunokami biker-babe at the pilotage station, the woman who was now the current incarnation of the Master of Arms, the _**Weaponeer**_, then chuckled. "Sorry about this, Liz!" she said as she rubbed the back of her head. She was dressed in an older-model gunmetal grey jumpsuit with her personal insignia – two crossed swords with a lit grenade bomb over them – in silver on her left breast. Benten's hair was let down to flow past her shoulders and her normal sash chain was now wrapped around her waist. "Turns out our underclassmen here found the crystal with my Gift in it drifting near Yiziba. My past-self's 'get me back NOW!' program kicked in and possessed them, then they found me at my home on Fukunokami and Gifted me!"

Elizabeth moaned. "Not _**again**_ . . .!" she groaned as she rubbed her forehead.

Benten blinked. "Somethin' happened?"

"Yes. One of my classmates at my high school – the Dominatrix – forced a Gift on one of our normal schoolmates when she suffered a drug overdose and was about to die on her. She became Manacle." As Benten winced on hearing that, the Californian then sighed. "Well, much that I would have preferred you having the chance to decide to get a Gift or not, welcome to the club, Benten. I would assume you need help with Pepper, Sugar and Ginger." She indicated the three younger girls currently manning the sensory, communications and engineering monitor stations on the bridge.

"I'd appreciate it. Where's Ayumu? I need the keys to my armoury."

"Hey, Benten-chan!" a cheery voice then declared as Kasuga Ayumu peeked in from one side of the room. "Hey, Oyuki-chan!" she then said on seeing the Neptunian there. "You didn't get a Gift forced on you, too, did'cha?"

Oyuki chuckled. "No, Ayumu-chan. Then again, we have the word of both Hannah-chan and Tracey-chan saying that I'm as powerful as any magical meta from Yiziba." As Elizabeth gaped on noting the crown princess of Neptune had just said the name of Benten's now-adopted home planet, Oyuki smiled. "It's a rather long story, Elizabeth-san."

"I can guess," Elizabeth noted. "Well, your ship's small enough to dock in the port boat bay on _Discovery_. I'll have my chief fembot guide you in to land. Lum's here as well; she learned the truth about Ataru yesterday when we got rid of that annihilation bomb the Niphentaxians hid in Tomobiki. She's accepting it and is very tempted to get her own Gift . . . now that she knows the truth about Redet Danu."

Benten nodded. "She'll be Tempest. I'll put a good wager on that."

"I'll back that up," Elizabeth noted. "In the meantime, let's get you aboard . . . "

"What of Ōgi, Elizabeth-san?" Oyuki then asked.

The Californian smirked as her voice slipped into a haughty British accent. "Ataru decided to give the pathetic same an Illudium Kyu-Thirty-six Explosive Space Modulator to hold onto. Sadly, it blew up in his face . . . and destroyed his ship. Of course, Master Coyote cares not for death scenes, so he had Lady Infinity teleport the fools back to their own home planet." A wink as her voice went back to normal. "And with Ōgi himself MIND-WIPED by Soul Searcher of all his memories of his 'Lum-sama!'"

Benten and Oyuki gaped on hearing that. While both had long accepted the many reasons their fathers had always used to explain why a policy of appeasement – there was no better word for it! – was used with the Niphentaxians, both of them had long dreamt of the time when Ōgi was no more and they would be free of such lifeless fools forever. That Moroboshi Ataru had done THAT was just as good in their eyes. "Fuck! If Ataru arranged _**that**_, I'll definitely do a pillow scene with him!" She then smirked as she winked. "If, of course, we can get Naru away from crushin' on that Urashima guy!"

Elizabeth gaped. "You looked into the BOOK?"

"We didn't mean to, Elizabeth-san," Oyuki stated. "When Benten was Gifted, she came right away to Triton to tell me what happened." She gave her friend an amused look. "Quite frightened by the idea of my rejecting our friendship because she was now one fo the 'Unspeakable Ones.' I shocked her with the story of how I met Ayumu-chan, Hannah-chan and Tracey-chan over the last several years – they never told me about Ataru, of course – and then we decided to go to Yiziba to find out who was it that got so many people from Earth Gifted in the first place. After a chat with that nice Conservator, we went to Ataru's cabin and Benten and I got a good look at all the people in the Book of Pretty Girls." She then tittered. "Benten's position in the Book will have to change, of course. She was listed in the 'Pretty Girls to Be Helped' group."

"Well, I'm sure he'll be okay with it," Elizabeth stated. "Katy?"

"Yes, Mistress?" a voice called out from off-screen.

"As soon as Oyuki's yacht comes into close range, lock docking programs with it and place it into the port boat bay, please. Have Nancy prepare guest quarters."

"At once, Mistress."

* * *

A half-hour later . . .

The Free Planetary State of Yiziba Starship _Discovery_ was a perfect replica of the famous space probe _Discovery One_ from Stanley Kubrick's movie _2001 A Space Odyssey_ and the novel written for the movie by Arthur C. Clarke. White overall with a slender main hull, a spherical command structure forward, a combination sensor-and-weapons array amidships and a flattened box-like structure aft housing the main engines, the vessel was sensuously thin in comparison to the different designs used by other races.

There was one big difference, though.

USSC _Discovery One_ was 140 meters long, 16 metres wide at the bow, 17 metres from the bottom of her command hull to the top level of her main sensor array amidships and would mass 5,440 tonnes in Earth gravity were she able to fly in atmosphere.

FPSYS _Discovery_ had TEN TIMES the dimensions; she was 1401 metres long, 167 metres wide, 170 metres tall and would mass 5.44 MILLION TONNES in Earth gravity!

"Damn!" Benten breathed out as she gazed on the general schematics of Elizabeth Wakefield's prized creation in the very core of the command module. "This is one classy ship you made here, Liz! Never read the novel or saw the movie, but you sure got a lot of things right!" She then blinked. "Any central computer like HAL?"

"God, no!" Elizabeth snorted. "Much that I know what happened to HAL in the movies, the idea of trusting a ship with THIS much power in the hands of a single AI doesn't do wonders for my stomach!" She then smirked. "The fembots do the job and I'm up here at least once a week when I can get away from school. There's no threat."

"Have you had to use the hypermatter gun on someone?" the Fukunokami-turned-Yizibajohei master armourer then stated as she gave her host a concerned look.

"No. You probably have seen ship wreckage at the Ceres orbit line," the Californian-born master inventor replied. "Urusian scout ships?" At Benten's nod, Elizabeth explained, "I discovered shortly after Ataru's memories were restored thanks to Ayumu and Yomi that members of the Imperial Round have been moving to kidnap Terran children from Earth over the last few decades to make them servants in homes back on Uru." As Benten scowled on hearing that, Elizabeth added, "In a quick sweep of the whole of the Urusian Union, all the kidnapped children were rescued and sent to Yiziba to be healed by the Nameless. None have been Gifted to my knowledge to this time. As for their former 'masters,' Margo was called in to give them a dose of _death_! And since that time, I've had active transmitters in the asteroid belt that's blown up any ship from Uru that isn't the _Kashin_, Lum's ship, Ran's ship, Ten's boat or Rei's starfighter."

Benten laughed. She had read about Margo Black in the Book of Pretty Girls. A girl who had been moved from foster home to foster home for years after she had been abandoned at the urging of an evil stepmother who had married Margo's true father after the death of Margo's mother, the woman who would become Doctor Death soon evolved into a sociopathic monster that simply would not be tamed. After the girl had been shifted from home to home for a few years, she wound up with an abusive family on Long Island near New York City that was more than willing to do anything to put the girl down. There, when she was ten, she met up with Moroboshi Ataru, who had sensed the aching loneliness and yearning for her real twin sister – who had remained behind with Margo's father and his new wife – in this uncontrollable girl who felt she had no home whatsoever. No doubt sensing a kindred spirit – after learning the truth of what happened to Moroboshi Ataru, Benten had automatically forgiven the guy for all the idiot things he had done to her – in Margo, Ataru convinced her to take a trip with him. She did . . . and soon faced the Great Crystal of Power.

She became the current incarnation of the Herald of the Final Darkness.

Since that time, Margo – who was BENTEN'S age, for crying out loud! – had worked as a freelance assassin, normally taking jobs for various governments on Earth whenever someone who needed to die had to die. Along the way, Margo had reunited with her own twin sister, Nora Chapelle, who had remained with their true father – who died a year ago – and her stepmother, a woman who didn't particularly care for Nora herself . . . and DEFINITELY didn't want anything to do with Nora's lunatic sister. Of course, once Ataru got called into it, Nora was Gifted with the power of the Living Power Battery, _**Accretor**_ . . . and then, to ensure Nora didn't suffer the fate of her past-selves (Accretor was one of the Young Guns), Kasuga Ayumu gave her a body from the Doll House that could help her fully master the awesome levels of energy she could produce to help boost the powers of other metas. Of course, Blanche Chapelle – who was later revealed to have married Dan Chapelle for his money – got a late-night visit from Doctor Death for her hand in separating Nora from Margo. And the Chapelle twins – though Margo was still legally "Margo Black" under American law; the family name came from the judge that had arranged for Margo's original adoption – settled down at the Chapelle home in Savannah, enjoying the trust funds their late father had set aside for them, both now legal wards of the state . . . with the PRESIDENT of the UNITED STATES as their official guardian!

"So is Margo going to be called in to deal with Ōgi's morons in and around Tomobiki?" Benten then asked. "If you cut off the sources for many of the chapters of that moronic 'holy book' of theirs, the Church of Lum would fall apart in an instant."

"No, Margo's too . . . " Here, Elizabeth made a rocking motion with her head. "Well, too FINAL when it comes to dealing with people like this. You have to remember that Niphentaxians as a whole aren't capable of really thinking for themselves. They've been bullied by the 'powers that be' for so long, the concept of actually trying to do something for themselves away from the 'party line' is alien to them." She smirked. "I got Tricia Martin to go there and give them a case of Gonzah's Syndrome."

Benten laughed. Tricia Martin, the younger daughter of one of Sweet Valley's more notorious families, was the current girlfriend of Elizabeth's and Jessica's elder brother Steven. She was also the Living Disease Factory, _**Tzaraath**_, a being that could literally create viral particles from her blood to infect others with. Another of the Young Guns like Accretor, the current Tzaraath – who got her Gift three years ago – also got a "body swap" thanks to Infinity to help her better control her abilities. It turned out that Tricia was suffering from a potentially fatal form of leukaemia . . . so the choice of Tzaraath for the younger daughter of Sweet Valley's most notorious drunkard was an ironic one indeed. Still, there was an upside: Thanks to Infinity, the current Tzaraath had come to develop the ability to create viral _**antibodies**_ in her blood, which could turn back even the most lethal sicknesses such as Ebola. Because of that, Tricia planned to study medicine when she finally graduated from high school.

"Yeah! That's one disease the idiots can _**never**_ get over! They'll be quarantined on the spot and cut off from home!" Benten stated. "Well, too bad for them!" She then perked as she gazed on her host. "By the way, Liz . . . "

"What?"

"What the fuck IS an Illudium Kyu-Thirty-six Explosive Space Modulator?"

"A stick of dynamite."

Silence.

"_**WHAT?**_" Benten shrilled. "A STICK OF DYNAMITE? No stick of dynamite could wreck a Kashin-class ship! It's . . .!" She then blinked. "Wait a sec'! Don't tell me those morons were sailing into a battle zone with their airtight compartments UNSEALED?"

"Of course. Then again, the Niphentaxians probably never looked on Earth as a potential battle zone," Elizabeth stated with a shrug. "After we took away the Avalonians, there were no true skilled artisans in the Niphentaxian Navy left around. I'll bet that those who were on the _Spirit of Lum_ were scraped up from all the other ships in the fleet from those who had a smattering of knowledge to run it; when Haruhi sent that annihilation bomb to Phentax Twenty, Ayumu teleported all the crews to safety back to Phentax Two. So they CAN rebuild . . . _**if**_ they get the chance."

A snort. "Schwartz won't let it happen."

"He'll be having other issues very soon."

An eyebrow arched. "How so?"

"Barsoom and four other solar systems close to Earth – ALL with Class M planets yet NONE of them inhabited – will soon be under _**new management**_."

Benten gaped, and then she roared with laughter . . .

* * *

Lum's ship (in _Discovery_'s boat bay, midships dock) . . .

"_**WHAT HAPPENED?**_"

"Ōgi came to kidnap me, Daddy," Lum stated as she gazed on the image of her father before her. "After Darling got one of his friends to dispose of that annihilation bomb that was in the Tomobiki Ginza, that moron got it into his head that Darling was about to hurt me badly and came here to take me away." She tried not to snarl at her father as she remembered the OTHER thing that she had learned earlier in the day. She doubted that Invader knew about this so-called "arranged marriage" between his family and that of the First Patriarch of Yaminokuni. "Fortunately, another of Darling's friends was able to put a stop to it and Ōgi's been dealt with. PERMANENTLY!"

"_**LUM! YOU CAN'T DO THAT!**_" Invader shrilled. "_**DON'T YOU REALISE WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF THE NIPHENTAXIANS DECIDED TO LEAVE THE GALACTIC FEDERATION?**_"

"You mean the Ipraedies and the Seifukusu?" Lum asked, trying not to groan as her father moved to repeat the argument he had used over the years to keep his daughter from lashing out at the Niphentaxians for their being – as Lum herself saw it – total morons when it came to her and her circle of friends. "Don't worry, Daddy. Darling's dealt with that, too. Do you wonder where he was for two months after the cathedral collapsed on our heads back in Onishuto?" She then smirked. "Turns out that one of They Who Must Never Be Named rescued him and took him to That Place."

Silence.

More silence.

Still more silence.

And then . . .

"_**MISTER GROOM MADE A DEAL WITH THE YOU KNOW WHOS?**_" a white-faced Invader shrieked out.

"Well, why not? Don't forget that even if we never planned to hurt the Terrans in the first place, we DID threaten to invade their planet when we launched the Tag Race! What was Darling to know about what was really going on around Earth?" As Invader tried not to scream out on knowing that his would-be son-in-law – Lum knew her father really still didn't care too much for Moroboshi Ataru – had dealings with THEM, his daughter then sighed. "Well, when that person – it was Infinity, believe it or not – got Darling off Uru, she told him about a whole RACE of VERY beautiful women who were being held as SEX-SLAVES by my so-called 'most faithful!'" As Invader gaped at her, Lum then snarled. "So who knew about the Avalonians in Onishuto, Daddy?" she then demanded. "Did you honestly think I LIKED the idea of allowing those lifeless morons on Phentax Two DO all those things they've done IN MY NAME? WELL?"

As Invader shook his head, Lum took a few deep breaths to calm herself. "I was luckier than any person in the Universe that Darling didn't decide to arrange to DIVORCE me when he found out about Ōgi and his idiots, Daddy!" As Invader croaked on hearing THAT dire statement, Lum then crossed her arms. "So with the help of the Lady Infinity's friends, Darling hit Phentax Twelve two months later. Had to kill off the whole population of the colony, but it was no real loss; they were all dead anyway thanks to the curse the Old Lady of the Oak Forest once meant for _**me**_! All the Avalonians were liberated and they took all of Ōgi's space factories with them as reparations for all the crap they were put through over a CENTURY thanks to their so-called 'masters!'"

"Lum, this is a DISASTER . . .!" her father whimpered. "If we lose the Niphentaxians' production capacity, it's going to be a war with the Ipraedies and the Seifukusu! We NEEDED Ōgi to keep the Ipraedies and the Seifukusu at bay! You have to make your husband drop his deal with the You Know Whos! We can't let THEM take over Earth!"

"Why would the Yizibajohei of all people want to conquer Earth?"

Invader screamed out as Lum blinked, not recognising that aged voice that had spoken from off-screen. "Who's that?" she then demanded.

A very elderly Oni then came into the camera's arc. Possessing white hair on a balding head, his face was pierced with weary yet still intelligent dark green eyes. He was clearly in some sort of hoverchair. "Hello, young lady," he said with an amused smile. "Who might you be? Why are you busy talking to my grandson here?"

Lum gaped. "You're my GREAT-GRANDFATHER?"

Invader chuckled. "Yeah, Gramps!" he said as he gazed down at the older man – Redet Traveller – with an amused smile. "This is your great-grandchild!"

Traveller blinked, and then stared at Lum. "But . . . SHE'S A GIRL!"

He began to wail, covering his face with his hands. As Invader stared in confusion at the long-retired Urusian Marine senior general, Lum then hummed . . . and then her eyes widened as she remembered what she found out just hours before. "Great-grandfather, do you remember once meeting a man named Upa?" she then asked as she crossed her arms. "About a hundred-and-twenty years ago, when you were still a subaltern in the Marines?"

Traveller croaked as his mind registered that name. "I thought as much!" Lum then snarled. "What were you THINKING of, Great-grandpa? Making a deal for MARRIAGE with someone you hardly ever KNEW? TRICKING the poor man into believing that he might get a wife from our family? WHAT THE MAIDENS' NAMES WERE YOU THINKING OF?"

The older man gaped in shock at that incensed look, and then he sighed. "I was a fool, young lady," he then confessed. "A stupid fool who didn't know any damned better! Indoctrinated with all that 'we're above everyone else' nonsense the Imperials would have us all believe even if we're Unionists or reformists and wouldn't EVER dream of seeing the Houses restored to the powers they had before the Revolution!" As Lum nodded – while Uru was democratic by name, it was actually run by a military junta that was effectively controlled by the descendants of the princes of the long-dead Urusian Empire that had fallen in the Union Revolution – Traveller took a deep breath. "I always feared the idea of a daughter being born from my family. The Yaminokuni are very honour-bound, just like the Yehisrites. If Upa's still alive . . . "

"He is. And I just learned that his great-grandson Rupa is here to marry me," Lum then stated. "Fortunately, Darling's friends were able to chase them off. It turns out that Rupa himself has a girl after him. Someone who's as good with weapons as Benten is." _Before she became the Master of Arms_, she mentally added; she wanted to hold back the truth about what happened to Ataru for as long as she could. "He doesn't care for her and sees marrying me as his way out. I don't care to be used that way and I do see myself as being engaged to Darling, so I don't want any part of this . . .!"

"_**YOU WON'T MARRY THAT MAN!**_"

Lum and Traveller gazed on Invader. "And why not?" the former then asked.

"Because he made a deal with the YOU KNOW WHOS, that's why!" Invader snarled. "Look what he did! He completely CRIPPLED the Niphentaxians . . .!"

"Who were utterly USELESS!" Traveller stated.

"I'll agree to that!" Lum added. "Want to know what their latest 'church' is about, Great-grandpa?" As the older man blinked, she thumbed herself. "They worship ME!"

"_**WHAT?**_" Traveller screamed out.

"We NEED that, Lum!" Invader snapped.

"_**QUIET, BOY!**_" the older Oni snapped back, putting the bite one would expect from a VERY angry Marine drill sergeant into his voice. As Invader balked, Traveller then stared at Lum. "What in the Maidens' Names happened to you, child? Speak up!"

Lum sighed. "A trade delegation came to Onishuto from New Hollywood just before my sixth birthday," she said. "The son of one of the delegates, Ōgi dai-Zkuhsbagh, got lost in the Terrible Swamps close to where Dad and Mom live. I was close by and I chased one of the monsters off. Ōgi was grateful about it, which was understandable . . . but the NEXT thing I know is that he started a GREAT AWAKENING of all things and founded a 'Church of Lum!'" As Traveller gaped, she then squeezed her eyes closed. "I didn't really care about it until six years ago when – after the Mikado tried to have Nassur-chan and his wife assassinated when they were visiting us on Uru – Ōgi turns around and sends a BIO-BOMB to _**Lecashuto**_ of all places!" As Invader winced and Traveller gaped in horror, Lum then hissed out, "Five million people _died_ . . .!"

"Oh, Maidens . . .!" Traveller breathed out. "You poor child . . . "

"That's not the end of it, I'm afraid."

Invader jolted. "Mister Groom . . .?"

He then cried out in horror as Ataru came up to stand beside his would-be wife, dressed to the nines in his Yizibajohei fighting clothes, the black insignia of the Trickster of the Show on his left chest. As Traveller gaped in surprise on seeing that Lum's would-be husband was TUYUKI of all people, Ataru then smirked. "Please to make your acquaintance, Senior General," he stated. "I'm Moroboshi Ataru of Earth, the twenty-second Tuyuki of the Great Show of Yiziba." As Invader screamed out on hearing That Name yet again – Lum was quick to note that Traveller hadn't reacted at all to the speaking of that word – Ataru smiled. "Your lovely great-granddaughter and I faced each other a year ago Earth-time in a Tag Race when – after your Federation began to fear a possible Ipraedies invasion of my birth-world – your government decided to launch an 'invasion.' I defeated her . . . though due to misspoken words on my part thanks to my being BRAINWASHED into forgetting my life on Yiziba, Lum came to believe we were engaged under your planet's mating rituals to be married." As Invader screamed out again, Ataru then shrugged. "I've not properly tagged Lum's horns in a marriage bonding as I would consider that a very improper thing to do according to my own beliefs. But be assured, sir, Lum is under my protection. And Yiziba's!"

As Invader wailed again on hearing that name, Traveller blinked several times before he laughed. "Damn! So they finally started teaching the truth about what happened to Lady Danu and her hubby, huh? It's about damned time, too . . .!"

"You _**know**_?" Lum asked.

"Sure, Lum-chan! My past-self told him!"

Lum and Ataru turned as Ayumu came up to join them. As Invader nearly fainted on seeing the Goddess Who Walks Amongst Men now within very close range of his own poor child, the Kansai-born woman then raised her hand. "Yo!" she called out.

Traveller blinked, and then raised his hand in return. "Yo!"

Ayumu smirked as she gave the older Oni a knowing look. "Hey, Traveller-kun! You still wandering around without enough food to eat?"

"Well, I learned my lesson after I met your past-self!" Traveller replied before he gazed in confusion at the Terran-turned-Yizibajohei whose twenty-third incarnation had saved his life after his ship had crash-landed on Yiziba shortly after his fateful encounter with Upa. "My, you're a young one! But then again, most Yizibajohei get their Gifts when they're still kids! How'd a _Terran_ get to be _**Infinity**_?"

Lum and Ayumu pointed to Ataru. "Blame Darling, Great-grandpa," the former then stated. "He was Gifted to become Tuyuki after his mean mother said she wished she'd never had him in the first place and one of the Nameless came along to give him a better home to live at." As Invader – and his wife, who had come over to comfort her husband – gasped on hearing that, Lum then smiled. "After Darling got Gifted, he decided he'd save all the pretty girls on Earth by getting them Gifts, too!" As Invader and his wife screamed out at the idea of ANOTHER planet becoming like Yiziba, Lum waved to Ayumu. "Ayumu-chan here's the first one of the lot."

"And Lum would have been the second one, but she refused my offer to take her to the Cave of the Future," Ataru added. "But that didn't matter to me. I still put her into my Book of Pretty Girls. And when I got my memories back six months ago, I vowed I'd do everything I could to keep her safe. Especially from people who consider her more of a THING instead of a PERSON!" He glared at Lum's parents in emphasis.

"_**YOU TRIED TO TURN MY BABY INTO A MONSTER?**_" Invader shrilled.

"Oh?" Ataru calmly stated. "If I HADN'T met Lum when I did, Fat Boy, she would have been a CRIPPLE thanks to GANZO DAI-LOUC of all people!"

"_**WHAT?**_" Invader shrilled out.

"What happened?" Traveller snapped.

Ataru gazed on him. "Have you ever met Ganzo, General?"

A nod. "Several times. Bright man . . . but a little obsessed about something that I never really understood. Why did his own people hate him . . .?"

"Because he was advocating the EMANCIPATION of a race of BIOROIDS that his own people had turned into SEX-SLAVES after they found the factory unit that could create them buried on Phentax Twelve," Ataru stated. "He knew the letter of the law that allowed Phentax Two to join the Galactic Federation. And he tried his best to spread the word about the Avalonians to whomever he could get to listen to him. But in the eyes of his people, that just wasn't right . . . so they turned around, declared him the 'Arch-Heretic' and put a price on his head!" A sigh. "So when Ōgi – whom Lum just told you about – started up the 'church' he named after her, Master Ganzo decided to head it off at the pass . . . by putting a _**power dampener**_ on a SIX YEAR-OLD GIRL!"

"_**WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?**_" Lum's relatives screamed out as one.

"That's right!" Lum stated. "And if it wasn't for Ayumu-chan here being able to hear me crying ALL THE WAY FROM YIZIBA . . .!" She tried not to snarl on seeing her own parents scream out on hearing That Name yet again. "Well, Darling and Ayumu-chan came to my rescue and Ayumu-chan used her powers to give me my powers back!" She then glared at her father. "So guess what, Daddy? _**I OWE DARLING A LIFE-DEBT!**_"

Silence.

More silence.

Still more silence.

And then . . .

"Then you must honour that life-debt, Lum," Traveller then solemnly declared. "Just as Lady Danu did when Master Rampage welcomed her into his home – and his heart – when she was abandoned by that coward Joth after the Yizibajohei chased him off their planet in the wake of the Yizibajohei WINNING the Tag Race! WITHOUT CHEATING!"

As Lum's parents stared ashen-faced at the aged general beside them, Lum herself gazed at Traveller for a minute . . . and then she nodded. "_Tcha_ . . . " Taking a deep breath, she then gazed on Ataru. "Darling . . . take me to the Cave."

He gazed at her. "You sure?" he asked. "Once you do this, there's no going back."

"Lum, no . . .!" Invader moaned out.

"I'm making the decision _**of my own free will**_," Lum stated. "Wasn't that what went wrong with _**your**_ Gifting? When Mistress Ayone forced the Gift of Tuyuki unto you when the current Tuyuki should have been a GIRL all along? What about Benten? She was trapped and Gifted into becoming the Weaponeer when Pepper, Ginger and Sugar were possessed by whatever it was in the crystal holding her Gift!" As Lum's parents gasped on hearing that, Lum bowed her head. "I know a lot of girls want you, Darling. I can try to live with that. But for a year – no, for _**ten years**_! – it's only been you."

Ataru gazed at her, and then he shrugged . . .

. . . before his hands landed on her horn-buds. "Tag."

Traveller gasped as Invader and his wife cried out in shock. As Lum gaped wide-eyed at him, the Trickster of the Show smiled. "I'm a sucker for a pretty face!"

As Ayumu giggled, Lum gazed at him. "Baka . . . "

"So are you," Ataru scolded.

Both gazed on each other before they laughed, and then drifted together in a tender kiss. "Isn't that so romantic?" Traveller then said, tears in his eyes.

"Grandpa . . . " Invader moaned.

"Oh, quiet boy!" the older man snarled. "Be happy for your baby!"

Invader blinked, and then he gazed helplessly at his wife . . .

* * *

The Moroboshi home, nightfall . . .

"_**YOU CAN'T DO THIS!**_"

"Too bad! It's already been done! Live with it!"

As a stunned Miyake Shinobu – who had remained with Ataru's parents as they grieved the loss of their surviving child a SECOND TIME – watched, Yumoa Reigi then placed a folder thick with envelopes and cheques onto the coffee table. As Kinshō began to wail, the young chief of operations for Toranoseishin Finances turned to gaze at Muchi. "You know, much that I understand why is it you married this woman, Oji-san, but I have to wonder what the hell were you _**thinking**_ of when you allowed this idiot to take over your life like she did!" As Kinshō gasped and Shinobu winced, Reigi sighed. "We all grieved with you when Kaeru-chan died and his body disappeared. At that moment, you should have been happier than anything to still have one son alive and well. Yet what did you do? You tried to pretend he wasn't there! For over TWO YEARS you did that! If you were so desperate to get back the youth you lost when your idiot wife got pregnant in the first place, why the hell didn't you agree to turn Ataru over to your mother AS WAS AGREED TO IN THE FIRST PLACE? At least THERE, he would have been LOVED!"

Muchi winced on hearing that veiled accusation from his older brother's eldest ward, wishing desperately that he could hide himself behind his evening newspaper and forget this whole damned day never happened . . . but with what the mysterious Hana Tariko had just done, he had no choice but to face up to the fact that a lot of bad choices he had made over the last decade and more had finally come back home to roost. And wishing it would all go away wouldn't help anymore. The people who had dragged a dazed Ataru back into the house had been hunted down and killed . . . by a **_professional assassin_** that ATARU HIMSELF had unleashed on them; Reigi had just told him that before announcing that all the accounts he and his wife had set up with Toranoseishin had been closed. Ataru himself had recovered what he had lost . . . and now had the backing of a PLANET full of METAHUMANS of all things to ensure he would never have to return back to Earth again if he didn't want to. And to add salt to the wounds, LUM had been persuaded to move out . . . and was most likely going to this Yiziba place to be with her Darling!

Noting the torment on the older man's face, Reigi sighed. "Oji-san, ever since Tariko-sama told me what Ataru arranged with the Emperor concerning who would take Nagaiwakai-sama's place as Matriarch of the Clan and how that affects all of us, I've reflected on my actions – and my LACK OF ACTIONS – when it came to your surviving son and how he was mistreated by you and literally ABANDONED by all of us." He glared at Kinshō. "Yes, those wizards who helped that bastard in the Men In Black hypnotise Ataru into forgetting his life on Yiziba helped you block us from trying to make contact with him and reminding him of what he was once a part of . . . but that was made _**illegal**_ the instant Ataru was struck off from your family's _koseki_ the instant the Emperor had him declared an _**emancipated minor**_." As Ataru's parents both gasped on hearing that they had legally been stripped of all authority concerning their only child without their being told, Reigi smirked. "So everything you arranged with Lum's family had no legal weight on Earth. Everything you tried to do to get better lives for yourself at Ataru's expense was flushed down the toilet. You get what you've always wished for: Your own house, a quiet place to live. And even better, no 'embarrassment' of a son to be humiliated by. Isn't that what you've always wanted all along?"

"_**NO!**_" Kinshō snapped.

Reigi snorted. "Well, pity that Ataru thinks otherwise. And now you have no further chance to make it up to him . . . if you ever really did. Forgive me if I don't accept a damned word you say about that end, Kinshō." As Shinobu winced on sensing the scorn the older man felt on his saying that name, he stood up. "I did you one favour. There were no penalties charged to your accounts when I closed them. All the money you've saved over the years is yours to be put into a new bank. But don't you DARE make a complaint about this to anyone in town. If you do, Tariko-sama guarantees that the TRUTH – as ATARU saw it! – of your treatment of him will be spread broadside from Hokkaidō down to Okinawa. What are your chances of a happy life then?"

And with that, he walked out of the room, leaving a stunned couple behind as they faced the black maw of a VERY uncertain future before them . . . and a young woman who had finally learned how vicious that couple's estranged son really was . . .

* * *

"So you finally turfed them out, huh?"

Reigi jolted on hearing that amused voice, and then he turned. "Fujinami-san?"

Fujinami Ryūnosuke – who had decided to remain on Earth while her friends had gone off into space – smirked as she pushed herself off the telephone pole she had been leaning on across the street from the front gate of her friend's former home. "Tariko asked me to make sure Ataru's dumbass mother didn't do anything to you when you came by to deliver the bad news to them," the Wild Huntress said. She was in normal clothes and Reigi hadn't known the truth about her until now. "Atop that, one of Ataru's other friends is in town to deliver a nice package to the slimebags who buried that bomb that the Weaver got rid of yesterday. Once that's done, we'll never have to worry about Lum's so-called 'most faithful' ever again. Thank the gods for that!"

Reigi blinked. "What are you talking ab- . . .?"

"_**GET AWAY FROM ME!**_"

Both jolted, and then they turned . . .

. . . as a screaming Megane came running towards them, followed by a half-dozen people – Ryūnosuke was quick to note the tapered ears the pursuers had – who all had very ugly purple splotches on their skins. "Satoshi-sama!" a cute girl about Megane's age cried out. "Help us, please! You can use your divinity to cure us! Please!"

"_**I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!**_" Megane bellowed in terror before his eyes locked in on the bishōnen-like girl ahead of him. "_**RY**__**Ū**__**NOSUKE! HELP ME!**_"

Ryūnosuke deftly dodged his flying leap to embrace her, allowing the leader of the Stormtroopers to slam face-first into the telephone pole she had been leaning on. Before the pursuing Niphentaxians could try to jump him, she assumed a blocking position in the middle of the street, splaying the fingers of both hands.

_ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT-HSZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZH!_

The aliens all screamed out on hearing that hissing noise as they watched all the fingernails of the Holy Friend glow bright red before burning foot-long CLAWS grew out from them. As they all quickly gathered together to protect themselves from the Holy Friend – who they now just realised was actually one of They Who Must Never Be Named! – Ryūnosuke then smirked. "I thought you idiots RESPECTED Lum's goof-ball squad of cheerleaders!" she then snarled. "Yo, Megane! You okay?"

"Somewhat . . . " Megane grunted as he picked himself off the street before shaking his head. "Who the hell ARE these people, anyway?" he then demanded.

"Say hello to Lum's so-called 'most faithful,' 'Toshi: The Niphentaxians," she answered. "A race of stupid SAMES who can't get a fuckin' life and – for reasons I still can't understand – worship Lum as a _**living goddess**_!" As Megane gaped and Reigi groaned – by then, Shinobu had come out of the Moroboshi house and was now listening in on this – the Wild Huntress added, "And they worship her SO much that they're willing to KILL anyone who dares threaten her! Like using a BIO-BOMB on a city of innocent people six years ago on a planet named Vos!" She sheathed one of her hands' weapons to thumb in the direction of the Ginza. "And that bomb that was downtown was theirs, too!"

Megane and Shinobu were stunned speechless as Reigi shook his head in disbelief at such a revelation. "Satoshi-sama, don't listen to this monster!" one of the Niphentaxians pleaded. "She's a minion of the Great Evil! He's done everything he could to turn Lum-sama away from you and the other Holy Apostles and the Holy Company . . .!"

"'_**HOLY APOSTLES?**_' _**WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?**_" Megane screamed out.

"It means this, Satoshi. Catch!"

He perked . . .

. . . and then blinked as a book landed in his hands. He blinked as he gazed at the title. "'_The Book of Lum_?'" he read out before opening it and reading.

As Tariko – now in the costume of Wildflower, which made all the Niphentaxians whimper on noting that there were MORE of They Who Must Never Be Named in the Holy City – came up to join the others, Megane quickly read through a couple of the pages of one section of the book. As he did that, his face turned a sickly pale as a look of horrified realisation crossed his face. "_**HEY! THIS IS FROM MY DIARY!**_" he howled in anger. "_**HOW THE HELL DID THESE IDIOTS GET COPIES OF MY DIARY? WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?**_"

"Simple," Tariko stated. "Despite all their words praising you for being 'divinely touched' because of your feelings for Lum, these idiots – and the morons who sent them here in the first place – really don't CARE AT ALL about you!" As Megane stared in disbelief at Ataru's now-adopted sister, Tariko smirked. "After all, if these people really DID care for you, what the hell were they doing planting an ANTI-MATTER BOMB with a FIVE HUNDRED MEGATON YIELD in the middle of the largest metropolitan area of Earth?" As Megane and Shinobu both screamed out in horror on hearing that and Reigi winced, Tariko smirked. "Well, isn't it too bad that when Ataru got his memories back six months ago, he declared a _**Mother of All Fight Scenes**_ on the Niphentaxians! And so far, it's been going good!" As the Niphentaxians wailed in horror on realising that their whole RACE was now being targeted by They Who Must Never Be Named, Tariko gazed at them, and then winked at Ryūnosuke before she walked over to stand before them. "We took away your bioroid slaves. We took away all your space factories. We blew up one of your COLONY PLANETS and mercy-killed FIVE MILLION of your kind, too! And we just wiped out your fleet yesterday! Matter of fact, two hours ago, the idiot that STARTED your so-called 'church' just had his MEMORIES of Lum WIPED OUT OF HIS HEAD!

"So how about it?" she then asked as the sick aliens all cringed from her glare. "Do you finally get the hint . . . _**or do we have to get tough**_?"

The aliens all cried out as they all slumped in sobbing defeat . . . and then everyone perked on hearing a voice call out, "Excuse me, please."

Tariko looked over. "Yes?"

Reigi then tensed on recognising the elder of the two men in the black business suits who had just come up: Agent Kay of the Men In Black; he had been one of the two who had captured Ataru when he had come to Tomobiki thirteen months ago. The other one, an African-American in his late twenties, was an unknown to him. As Shinobu gasped out in relief on seeing the agents of the Special Committee on Alien Activities here, Kay then smiled as he gazed on new matriarch of the Moroboshi Clan. "Sorry to disturb you, Miss Hana, but we just got the report of the presence of _**illegal aliens**_ on this planet." As Shinobu shuddered in anticipation of the Men In Black ordering Tariko to return back to Yiziba – was this evil woman responsible for kidnapping Ataru in the first place? – Kay then nodded towards the crying Niphentaxians. "I assume all of the illegal aliens like those ones there have been hit with whatever you or your friends did to them?"

"Yes," Tariko answered as Shinobu face-faulted. "The Lady Tzaraath of Yiziba was summoned here by my adopted brother, Master Coyote, to infect these so-called religious fanatics with a bad case of Gonzah's Syndrome." As the Niphentaxians all croaked on hearing who the Great Evil actually was – and Shinobu paled on hearing that Ataru had actually SUMMONED someone to unleash _**biological warfare**_ on these people – the Belle of the Wilderness then added, "Which, while not fatal – and certainly not contagious to any non-Niphentaxian – will certainly incapacitate them and render them helpless to allow your organisation to clear whatever else they've got hidden in this place."

"'Tzaraath?'" the younger of the MIBs asked.

"The Mistress of Plagues," Ryūnosuke explained. "Comes from a one-parent home. Dad's a drunk, older sister's a whore and she herself was dyin' of leukaemia before Ataru got her to Yiziba to get her a Gift." As the MIBs both gaped on hearing that, the Huntress of the Wild shrugged. "I dunno. The Crystal has a weird sense of humour."

The visitors from New York City hummed before gazing on each other. "So what do you think, Jay?" Kay then asked. "Do we quarantine them or send them home?"

The younger agent hummed. "It's not fatal?" he asked Tariko.

"Not according to Tzaraath," Tariko stated. "Still and all, these idiots WERE part of a group that planted an ANTI-MATTER BOMB in the middle of Earth's largest metropolis. And all for the stupidest excuse imaginable. Standard intergalactic convention demands some form of retaliation. And without their slave artisans and their space factories – not to mention their SPACE FLEET – the Niphentaxians aren't in any position to escalate it any further than that. If they do, we're here to put a stop to it."

"Which is what Ataru intended all along," Ryūnosuke added.

Kay sighed. "Yeah. Took our group _**months**_ to figure that out. If Dee hadn't done what he did – not to mention those wizards freaking out on sensing a 'muggle' having the power Ataru did – none of this would have ever happened. All we had to do was ASK Ataru to go easy on Lum – while winning the Tag Race – and that would have been it." He shook his head. "Well, better late than never. Can you get someone to send these ones back to their home planet?" he then asked as he indicated the Niphentaxians.

Tariko smirked as she looked up. "You overheard?"

"Indeed I did."

As the Niphentaxians vanished from the street nearby, a slender woman landed close to Tariko. She was currently in a black modern-pattern Yizibajohei jumpsuit with a weaving patter of multicolour lines across her abdomen and legs. A white belt composed of interlocking lemniscate symbols was wrapped around her waist. White buccaneer boots were on her feet. She had dark brown hair held partially back by a gold headband. Golden-brown eyes peeked out of a very cute face. She spoke with a faint hint of a Kansai accent as she gazed on the two MIBs, "All of them are home on Phentax Two safe and sound. If the authorities there don't act fast enough, they'll have a plague on their hands. If they kill the plague-carriers in time, they lose all personal observations of their 'goddess'' so-called 'holy company' here on Earth. One way or another, the Church of Lum is about to go the way of the dinosaurs," the woman born Suzumiya Haruhi – now the Mistress of Space and Time, the _**Weaver**_ – declared.

"All the races in the local cluster will cheer for joy," Tariko noted.

"_**WAIT A MINUTE! WHAT ABOUT ATARU-KUN?**_"

The three Terrans-turned-Yizibajohei looked at a shuddering Shinobu, and then Tariko gazed on Kay. "Hey! Can I get you to blank out this idiot's memories of my brother?"

Shinobu gasped in horror as the two men from New York gazed her way . . .

_**To be continued . . .**_

* * *

**WRITER'S NOTES:**

1) The girls with Benten and Oyuki at the start of this part – **Banchō ****Pepper**, **Byōin Ginger** and **Hisaten Sugar** (the family names are my creation) – are known to _Yatsura_ fans as the "Three Girl Gang." They first appeared in the manga story "Looking For A Lost Thing" (manga episode #198). They attend the current galactic middle school Lum, Benten and Oyuki once attended years ago . . . and due to the considerably reputation their "upperclassmen" gained while at that institution, Pepper and her friends do many things to try to one-up the older group of girls. The Three Girl Gang, ironically, never attracted ANY attention from Ataru in the manga.

2) The "Hannah" and "Tracey" that Oyuki spoke about were two of Harry Potter's classmates at Hogwarts, **Hannah Abbott** of Hufflepuff (Neville Longbottom's future wife) and **Tracey Davis** of Slytherin (she was one of the girls whose name was mentioned in the 2001 BBC television special _Harry Potter and Me_ where J.K. Rowling brought out her Hogwarts class list). Hannah – who became **Icefire**, the Mistress of the Polar Winds, thanks to Ataru – is a mistress of wind magics. Tracey – as **Snowbright**, the Mistress of the Eternal Winter – is a weather-mage that can unleash horrid cold on anyone she desires. Both girls would, of course, be quite at home on a cold planet like Triton.

3) As for the two people from _Love Hina_ Benten mentioned in her talk with Elizabeth, **Narusegawa Naru** is the **Archaeologist**, an Indiana Jones-like figure that has dedicated him/herself over the years to preserving Yiziba's pre-Dawn of Power history in his own private sanctum sanctorum, the History Cave. A psychic with a sixth-sense when it comes to finding old things, Naru was – in a previous life – the life-mate to Benten's past-self. As for **Urashima Keitar****ō**, he became the Unmovable One, **Stone Mountain**. A being that is as physically tough and endurable as pure neutronium, Stone Mountain is almost as strong as Rampage . . . but unlike most other FISS-types, he can't fly and cannot be harmed by any means, even magical or psionic.

4) **Margo Black** is the most infamous villain in all of the _Sweet Valley High_ series. Popularly called "the Evil Twin" due to her exact resemblance to Elizabeth Wakefield (save dark brown hair and the dimple on Elizabeth's cheek), Margo would eventually come to Sweet Valley from New York to seek out the perfect family she had been denied for so long (at the time she was introduced, Margo had been fostered by TEN separate families!). First appearing in book #95, _The Morning After_, Margo would steal and kill her way to California, where she got it into her head to kill Elizabeth and literally take her place. She was eventually stopped in book #100, _The Evil Twin_, where she supposedly died. One couldn't keep a good villain down, so Margo made a comeback in the second Magna Edition, _Return of the Evil Twin_. This is where Margo's own twin sister, **Nora Chapelle**, was introduced. Ironically, in the massive mix-up of twins in that particular story, Nora actually ended up stabbing Margo to death!

5) **Tricia Martin** is Steven Wakefield's long-suffering girlfriend. First properly introduced in book #12, _When Love Dies_, this is when readers also learn that Tricia is dying of leukaemia. She would eventually pass away in book #15, _Promises_ . . . but Tricia's ghost haunts Steven's life for a long time, eventually making his relationship to one of Jessica's friends, **Cara Walker**, quite hard to get off the ground.

6) Urusian politics played a key role in events in the latter part of _The Senior Year_. The **Imperials** (known collectively as the "Imperial Round") were determined to return Uru to a feudalistic empire with the "Imperial Houses" (which I based on the Houses in Lew Burton's fanfics) in control over the population, the "commoners" stripped of all family names and other races enslaved to them. Leading this group was Rei's uncle, **Seq Yethis**. The **Unionists** were the people who supported the current government format on Uru that was established in the Union Revolution two centuries ago, where high government officials had to be serving military officers of flag rank to achieve political office. Leading this group were Lum's father and the Union's president, **Hozan Lana**. The **Democratic Reformists** were the ones who wanted to complete the work of the Revolution and allow the Urusian people to transition to a democracy in the American style. Their leader was Yethis' sister and Rei's mother, **Seq Yedris**.

7) The bio-bombing of **Lecashuto**, the capital city of the planet Vos, was described in the _TSY_ story "A Hectic Vacation." This event has often been referred to in many of my other stories, such as _Lonely Souls_ and _Phoenix From the Ashes_.

* * *

**The Book of Pretty Girls_, Entry 1049:_**

**_WILDFLOWER  
_The Belle of the Wilderness**

**Generation:** 21st  
**Age at Gifting:** 17 years, 10 months (in own timeline)

**Real Name:** HANA Tariko  
**Relatives:** MOROBOSHI Ataru (_adopted brother; **Coyote**, listed in _The Book of Pretty Girls_, Entry 0_)  
**Affiliation:** Self, Coyote, Redet Lum (_see Entry 2_), all those Gifted because of Coyote  
**Base of Operations:** Town of Rishiri, Rishiri County, Sōya Sub-prefecture, Hokkaidō, State of Japan  
**Alignment:** Neutral/Face  
**Identity:** Unknown to almost everyone on Earth  
**Race/Culture of Birth:** Terran/Japanese (later Yizibajohei Battle Doll)  
**Place of Birth:** City of Wakkanai, Sōya Sub-prefecture, Hokkaidō, State of Japan (_on the Earth in her own dimension_)  
**Gender:** Female (_born originally as male_)  
**Height:** 172 cm (5' 8")  
**Weight:** 52.1 kg (115 lb)  
**Eyes:** Brown  
**Hair:** Brown-black

**Gifts:  
_Metahuman Strength, Toughness and Physical Invulnerability:_** Wildflower is one of the top two FISS-type metas of Yiziba. In Earth gravity, she could dead-lift fifty thousand tonnes with one arm without any risk to the integrity of her body. Because of such power, she can resist anything up to the direct on-skin impact of either thermonuclear or anti-matter weapons up to the explosive power of 21 exajoules of energy (equivalent to five gigatonnes of TNT exploding all at once). She has the ability to survive in all forms of atmosphere (including airless space) for hours without the need to replenish her body with oxygen. As an extension of same, she cannot be poisoned by any normal means and can ingest most forms of solids or liquids save for anything based on Grade Three mesonium ("ebony meson"). Under normal circumstances, Wildflower would be vulnerable to magical and or psionic attacks with no defence against same save sheer willpower, but the uniqueness of her origins does give her added defences.  
**_Flight:_** Wildflower has the ability to fly at hypersonic speeds in atmosphere, just above sonic speeds while in a liquid medium like water and a quarter of the speed of light in space. She has no ability to warp herself between solar systems without aide.  
**_Enhanced Physical Senses:_** Wildflower's physical senses are quite acute as an extension of her physical abilities. She can see with accuracy out to about twenty kilometres from her person in atmosphere. She can hear even minute sounds from dozens of metres away. She can smell even faint traces of odour up to several hours since the scent was first created. Her taste buds are quite sensitive to even minute changes of flavour. And her skin is quite sensitive to the touch of even minute animals such as fleas. Thanks to her Battle Doll programming, Wildflower can discipline herself to negate the input of such sensations upon her mind via a form of self-meditation.  
**_Battle Doll Programming:_** On her gender-change, Tariko was transformed into a Battle Doll, one of the combat synthezoids created by the 5th Infinity to act as special guardians for the Nameless. As such, she spent six months as a synthetic being before being allowed to acquire her Gift within days of her coming into her current dimension of residence. With that, she has increased mental skills, a computer-like organised mind, a nearly-eidetic memory and the ability to shield her mind from most forms of psionic or magical possession. Only high end cosmic metas could harm Wildflower mentally.

**Personality:**

**_There but for the Grace of God, go I_**.

For the woman who was born in another dimension as Moroboshi Ataru, that classical phrase has very poignant meaning, both for him/herself and for those in this dimension who learned her story when she finally met up with her counterpart – the current Coyote – shortly after witnessing and being made to participate in a holocaust.

Unlike Coyote, the Moroboshi Ataru that would eventually become Hana Tariko did not have the advantage of meeting representatives of Yiziba when he was but a child. Raised in a strained – some would say "loveless" – home by his birth parents, Ataru was cursed with very odd luck stemming (in the eyes of some) from his being born on the anniversary of the death of the great Terran sage Siddhārtha Gautama Buddha when an earthquake and typhoon also struck the city of his birth. Such queer luck would last until the day he would meet an alien warlord's daughter from the planet Uru named Redet Lum, who had come at the vanguard of an invasion of Earth. An invasion that Ataru was selected to defend against . . . in the time-honoured Oni sport of horn-tagging.

It was by the barest of miracles that Ataru did win . . . but in his victory, he found himself "engaged" to marry Lum thanks to words he had uttered thanks to the prompting of his then-girlfriend Miyake Shinobu the previous night. Because of that, Ataru – then only a boy of sixteen wanting only to be able to live his life as he wanted to live it – found himself at the mercy of a caring and very devoted if also naïve and selfish woman who was determined to do anything to keep her "Darling" loyal to her. That resulted in a very fractious relationship that lasted a year before another man claiming to be Lum's fiancé came to take her away. Thanks to gross miscommunication on the parts of all parties – tacked onto an ecological disaster unleashed by one of Lum's friends on that Earth – Ataru found himself trapped into either publicly admitting his feelings for Lum (which he was loath to do as doing such would, in his mind, destroy the last amount of personal freedom he felt he possessed in his life) . . . or face being made to forget she had ever been in his life in the first place.

At that moment, Destructo came to give him an offer.

And had it not been for Lum's friend Shigaten Benten of Fukunokami literally charging in where angels would fear to tread, Ataru was mortally wounded before he could be whisked off to Yiziba and safety. In desperation, Destructo sent the dying lad into Infinity's Doll House to be transformed into a Battle Doll.

Moroboshi Ataru was dead. Hana Tariko stood in her place.

In support of the suffering Tariko, elements on Yiziba unleashed the Mother of All Fight Scenes once more on Uru, leaving them defenceless so that old enemies of Lum's race could come in to utterly enslave them, resulting in Lum herself being executed publicly in the central square of her home world's capital city. At the same time, terrorists on Earth lashed out to kill all of Lum's friends on that world, leaving a wrecked Tomobiki behind. On returning to Earth months later, Tariko – who never wanted anyone to DIE – found her home gone. Added to a reckless Shinobu's accusations that _Tariko_ had been the cause of the death of so many triggering Tariko's Battle Doll programming . . . and the man-turned-woman who only wanted to live her life in peace under her own rules found herself truly alone in a very uncaring Universe.

Fortunately for her, the Infinity of that dimension took pity on the suffering Tariko and sent her to a place where she would be loved and have a family of her own. Which she claimed when she met with Coyote in his Tomobiki . . . and from there, it was a quick visit to the Great Crystal of Power to become Wildflower.

Because of her harrowing experiences in her dimension of birth, Wildflower has no reason to trust ANY of her "brother's" former schoolmates or acquaintances in Tomobiki. She is willing to act as Coyote's "darker half" to extract vengeance on his parents and others who had tormented him in the past, though she – remembering a scorched city with mountains of corpses she had just been in mere days before meeting Coyote – knows not to push it too far. She also enjoys the support of the Emperor of Japan, who made her the new Matriarch of the Moroboshi of Mutsu-no-kuni, thus giving her what she had long sought: As much control over her life and future as possible.

For the Belle of the Wilderness, it is truly the best way to live.

Where this will lead her . . . is only for the Fates to decide.


	7. The One Never To Be Tamed

Near the Tomobiki Ginza, before dawn . . .

"Molly . . .?"

A nude Regina Morrow blinked as she looked around the small space she and Molly Hecht had rented at the Hotel Sunrise Tomobiki, the most expensive place to stay at in this part of Metropolitan Tōkyō. Of course, on seeing two Western girls – who _**did**_ have passports with them when they checked in late the previous afternoon – the hotel management hadn't blinked an eye even after they demanded a single bed hotel room for two. Given the number of aliens and other odd beings – which ultimately necessitated a steady influx of foreign observers from around the planet to Tomobiki – who had frequented the streets here over the last year, two young teenage Americans coming in to share a room together hardly earned more than a blink from the staff.

It had been quite nice to be able to sleep with one's lover – things between Regina and Molly had got serious about a week after the former's Gifting – in a private place and NOT worry about overprotective big brothers and nosy schoolmates trying to butt in where they certainly were NOT welcome. Besides, even if some might actually view Regina engaging in a _lesbian_ relationship with Molly as a way for the former to get back at Bruce Patman for his dumping her for _Amy Sutton_ of all people, there was really nothing to worry about given that Molly and Regina were BOTH girls and BOTH Yizibajohei in genetics, which ensured that no Earth man could ever impregnate either of them.

Of course, there WAS Moroboshi Ataru . . .

" . . . wonderful, Molly! It's good that they're getting together finally."

"Yeah, that's true, Mrs. M.," Molly's quiet voice answered back from the direction of the small lounge located nearby; the lovers from California had rented one of the top-floor rooms, which came with a small living room as well as a fully-equipped bathroom. "Lum didn't strike me as the type to allow her fears to get the better of her. And once she DID remember what Ataru and Ayumu did for her ten years ago . . . "

The full laughter of Regina's mother Skye echoed back. "Well, let's hope that things will actually calm down for the people of Tomobiki," she noted as Regina herself got up, picked up her nightshirt – it was a transformed version of her own battle uniform turned into a thigh-high T-shirt – and slipped it on. "Much that I'm sure those who cared for Lum will be hurt by her departure, all the others in town . . . "

"Yeah, that's true," Molly said as Regina came into the lounge.

"'Morning, Mom," Regina called out.

"'Morning yourself, dear," Skye said as she gazed at Regina from the surface of the iPad that the latter used – modified by Elizabeth, of course – whenever she and Molly were spending more than a day away from Sweet Valley to stay in touch with the former's family. "Molly just passed on the good news about Ataru and Lum."

"Yeah, we heard. Finally made the tag," Regina said as she sat down in the love chair beside Molly, reaching over to wrap an arm around her. "They should be getting Lum her own Gift pretty soon. _Discovery_ can make it to Yiziba in a few minutes at full speed. Oh, Ataru's new sister just cleared out the rest of those Church of Lum idiots that were in town; she got Suzumiya Haruhi to send them back home."

"After Tricia Martin nailed them with Gonzah's Syndrome," Molly added.

Skye winced. "_**Biological warfare**_ . . .?"

"It's their version of minor influenza, Mom," Regina said. "They haven't found a way to fully eradicate it, but it's not like Hifuto Syndrome."

"Yeah! You'd figure that for all the time and energy they expend in tearing down and building cities up to follow their latest 'church,' they'd spend time improving their own health care system," Molly added. "Well, with Ōgi now having been made to forget his precious 'Lum-sama,' their fleet gone and their space factories taken by the Avalonians as war booty, maybe they'll get their priorities straight and start working on ways to pull themselves out of the rut they've been in for so long."

A sigh. "Let's hope so." Skye then perked. "Oh, Molly, you got a voicemail message on your answering service from some person in Sunnydale. Buffy Summers?"

Molly perked. "Oh, Buff! What did it say, Mrs. M.?"

"Something about some master coming back to cause trouble there. Not really bad now according to a Mr. Giles, but it may get troublesome in a few days."

Molly perked, and then she sighed. "Great. Master vampire is about to break open a Hellmouth and unleash the end of humanity," she muttered. "Typical fight scene."

Skye gasped. "_**VAMPIRES?**_"

"Long story, Mrs. M . . . "

A knock echoed. "I'll get it!" Regina called out as she got up and headed over to the door, opening it as she looked outside. "Yes . . .?"

"Hey! Is Molly Hecht here?" a rough voice asked in barely-accented English.

Molly looked over. "Ranma . . .?"

* * *

"So you finally decided to ditch the idiot squad and need a place to stay?"

"Yeah," Saotome Ranma said as he sat down in the lounge, enjoying a can of iced tea that Molly had gave him. He was in his normal Mandarin tang and trousers, though Molly knew that he was NOT anywhere close to normal. And no, that was not because of the magical gender-switching curse that he acquired two years before in a remote valley in the western Chinese province of Qīnghǎi. "After that whole business with Saffron, you'd think that Akane would finally have got the hint about my feelings for her even if I couldn't – for a whole host of reasons – say it out loud. But right after the insanity Oyaji and Akane's dad tried to provoke just before Ataru got his memories back, she just went back to default mode again. Believing everyone else but me about everything that was happening to her and around her." A sigh. "It finally got to the point where Ofukuro began hinting that I was being 'unmanly.' When she demanded two days ago that I marry Akane or submit to what I was tricked into promising when I was a baby, I took the family sword and broke it in front of her, publicly declared both her and Oyaji incompetent parents who had no honour in the damned first place, then went to the Family Registrar office in Nerima to get me off their _koseki_. Thanks to Ataru and whatever agreement he made with the Emperor after I got my Gift, I was able to keep the Saotome name, but I'm not legally Genma's and Nodoka's son anymore."

"That wouldn't stop Shampoo, though," Molly warned.

A smirk. "Actually, it did. Defying one's own mother is heavily frowned on in her tribe. When she got wind of it, Cologne took that as an excuse to annul the 'marriage' between us. After all, one can't allow such an 'unsuitable male' in their picture-perfect village." Ranma smirked. "Personally, I suspect that the old ghoul was starting to sense what Ataru helped me become before he went back to live with his moron parents. After hearing what I had to do to Saffron to save Akane, she decided that NOT having a Yizibajohei – especially the _Untameable One_ – in her village . . . "

"Would be healthier for her tribe," Skye Morrow finished; she was listening in to the conversation from her study in Sweet Valley. "What about your other so-called 'fiancées?' This cross-dresser you met when you were a child and Akane?"

"Well, until Akane can finally stop acting so insecure when it comes to me and open her eyes to the truth, I won't have anything to do with her," the man – who, five months ago, became the current incarnation of _**Mustang**_, the One Never to Be Tamed and the most powerful FISS-type metahuman on Yiziba outside Wildflower herself – now visiting Skye's daughter and her lover replied. "I was actually hoping to pop the idea of taking her to Yiziba to let her get her own Gift; she strikes me as the type to become someone like Cremisi or Virago. But there's no real _trust_ in her heart towards me, Aunt Skye." As Regina's mother blushed at Ranma's calling her "aunt" – he always did that to the mothers of those Ataru had helped in the past – he then added, "As for Ukyō, she wants a stay-at-home husband so she can run her okonomiyaki shop. I never wanted that from her. And with me now officially no longer being Genma's son, she achieves her mission set out to her by her father: The destruction of the Saotome family of Nerima. If she pushes it beyond that, it's on her head, not mine."

"And the rich idiot?" Molly asked.

A shrug. "No legal claim on me since Genma's not my dad anymore. I got my school records with me. Had to snap both of Principal Coconuts' legs to make him turn them over to me – not to mention crushed his barber shears in my hand – which gives him added impetus to keep his precious little 'Dachi away from me. As for the idiot's son, he has no power beyond the limits of Nerima. If he tries to march here into Tomobiki, Mendō and Mizunokōji will both stomp his ass into the ground." A smirk. "Nabiki never cared for me at all either which way . . . and once she discovers all her camera film of me as a girl gone, not to mention sees the message I left for her in her computer, she'll have no reason to come after me. Kasumi never really did anything for me, so she has no power over me. And since I'm legally no longer Genma's son, Sōun has no reason to come after me. If he tries, Jijii will make his life a living hell."

"What about Master Happōsai, anyway?" Skye asked.

"He's wanted me to get out and get more experience since I dealt with Saffron," Ranma stated. "He knows I've hit a plateau in my martial arts studies after staying in Nerima for so long, so I need to get back on the road and start doing things to expand my horizons." He waved to Molly. "Molly here tells me about this Hellmouth that exists in that town close to the Valley. I was going to head over there first and see what the fight scene's all about, then give the local Slayer there a hand."

"'Slayer?'" Skye asked.

"'Into every generation a Slayer is born,'" Molly then quoted a certain ancient prophecy she had heard from the mouth of Buffy Summers when they had first met a year before. "'One girl in all the world, a Chosen One. She alone will wield the strength and skill to fight the vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness; to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their number. She is the Slayer.'"

Regina's mother paled. "Oh, my . . . "

"Don't worry about it spreading to the Valley, Aunt Skye," Ranma then said. "As soon as he got his Gift, Molly's classmate Winston Egbert put up a lethal techno-magical ward around Sunnydale to keep whatever crawls out of the Hellmouth there inside a ten-mile radius of the town centre. It's all nicely contained."

"But sooner or later, the Master and his friends will try to break free," Molly then noted. "And when it happens, it's gonna be Mother of All Fight Scenes on a Hellmouth."

Regina giggled and Ranma snorted as Skye shook her head . . .

* * *

Minutes later, on the streets close to Tomobiki High School . . .

"Look! Look! It's Saotome Ranma!"

"Eh? Saotome Ranma? Where? Where?"

"There! There!"

People looked.

"OHMIGAWD! He's dressed just like Ataru-kun's friends were dressed yesterday!"

"Oh, gods! He's looks SO sexy! I'm gonna die!"

"Hey! Aren't those girls with him the two bodyguards Tariko-san had with her when she came to school yesterday to get Ataru-kun and Lum out of there?"

Multiple gasps.

"Oh, gods! That blonde chick is a fox!"

"That brunette's pretty hot, too!"

"Hey, look! They're holding hands!"

Shocked intakes of breaths from many men.

"Oh, ye gods! They're _**lovers**_!"

"Hey! Does Ryūnosuke know them?"

"She probably does!"

"Go find her!"

"What?"

Ranma – who was now in the form-fitting jumpsuit of Mustang: A sky-blue full-sleeved shirt with fold-down collars, a red rampaging horse motif on the chest rising from a gold belt, red pants with blue trim on the side, blue buccaneer boots on his feet and gold bracers around his wrists – perked on hearing that familiar voice, and then he waved. "Hey, Ryū-chan!" he called out as Fujinami Ryūnosuke – who had been carrying out the garbage to the curve, filling in for her father, who had gone off some days before to open a Hamachaya branch somewhere in Japan – walked out to dump her load by the main gates of Tomobiki High. "How're you doing? Heard you got rid of the ghost!"

"Yeah, I did," Ryūnosuke said as she walked over to grasp Ranma's hand in her own. "Found out Nagisa was trying to spy on my diaries for the Niphentaxians. 'Cause he came back as a ghost with a body thanks to that magical sea urchin we found at the old teashop his family owned, Sakura-sensei could nail him with an ofuda. He didn't like that sort of weakness, so one of Lum's so-called 'most faithful' came to him with an offer to make him an Avalonian if he could get at my 'sacred writings!'"

Ranma moaned. "I am SO glad Ataru finally got rid of those idiots!" he muttered. "They're a damned insult to sentient beings across the galaxy!" He then perked. "Oh, speaking of the Avalonians, has Project A got underway finally?"

Ryūnosuke shrugged. "Haven't heard a thing. But if all went to plan and they got the news of the 'Army of Lum' being wrecked, they would'a hit those planets they marked by today. No doubt within a week, the 'Republic of New Avalon' will be established to both the galactic west and east of Earth." She perked. "By the way, what the hell are you doing _here_? And in _**costume**_? Those idiots in Nerima piss you off or something?"

A sigh. "I finally decided that I couldn't remain in a house trying to explore a relationship with a girl who couldn't bring herself to trust me even after I KILLED for her," he coldly declared. "When she somehow made my idiot mother finally start hinting that I was being 'unmanly' for not bowing to my fiancée, I broke her favourite toy and used the favour Ataru set up for me with the Emperor to get my name off the Saotome _koseki_ for Nerima. I'm right now the one and only member of the Saotome Clan of Nishitōkyō, but I intend to make it two once I get my magical mirror-replica out of the compact she got forced into and get her over to Yiziba to get her a Gift of her own. Nothing Ofukuro or Oyaji can do to stop it. If Ofukuro defies the Emperor's wishes in this matter, she disgraces herself and will most likely be made to commit jigai to atone for her actions. Oyaji's pissed off enough people with his thievery and other tricks over the last ten years and more to win any favours from anyone . . . and what's worse, my leaving the house has Jijii's full support. And thanks to my asking Nora Chapelle to come by one day to give Jijii a little ki boost to heal him up from the years he was trapped in that cave by Oyaji and his friend, he's at full strength."

Ryūnosuke sighed. "You know Akane's got it bad for you, man."

"Well, there's a little trust issue. Which is the real big difference between my relationship with her and Ataru's with Lum. In Ataru's case, Lum was forced to keep quiet about her 'most faithful' and a few other things . . . and Ataru didn't want to make her bolt back to Uru by revealing he was Yizibajohei after that whole mess in Onishuto went down thanks to Ayumu-chan. But they did live together for a year and he did want to make sure she was safe and happy. I worked my butt off to keep Akane safe since she stopped practicing the martial arts . . . and she decided that it was okay to have a knight in shining armour be there for her when she needed it." A sigh. "Part of that was my fault. I should'a put a stop to her temper-tantrums as soon as I was Gifted, then teamed up with Jijii to put her idiot dad and Oyaji into their place. I should'a put Ofukuro in her place when she finally came, too. None of that 'hide the damn curse' and all that with her. If she couldn't see past her own nose at times, Ofukuro would'a found out pretty quick how far her worldview would've taken her."

"Not far at all," Molly noted.

"Um, Ranma-san . . . "

"Yo!" Ranma said as he looked over at one of the small gaggle of Tomobiki High girls who had gathered close by to gaze admiringly at him while he chatted away with another of their favourite classmates. "Something the matter, ladies?"

The girls all blushed. "Um, n-n-no!" one freshman sputtered. "But I thought that when Ataru-kun was living on this Yiziba planet, he went out only to find other GIRLS to take there so they could get metahuman powers. Everyone knows you're a guy . . . "

"Except the kids of a certain high school principal in Nerima," another girl said.

Laughter from the crowd. "Yeah, under normal circumstances, Ataru only went after girls to get to the Great Crystal of Power to let them get Gifts," Ranma answered. "But Ataru's got a thing about _**child-abusers**_, too. After all, his parents never cared if he lived or died, so if luck was there and he saw a guy being beat down upon at the orders of uncaring parents, he got involved. There are two boys in his 'Book of Pretty Girls' back on Yiziba. I'm one. The other one's a guy from England, Harry Potter. In my case, I was undergoing the Neko-ken training – which is designed to create a berserker by literally forcing the soul of a cat into the trainee's mind – when Ataru found me in a pit full of starving cats after being dumped in there by Genma." As the girls all gasped in horror, he smirked. "In Harry's case, 'cause his uncle and aunt didn't want a thing to do with him, he was constantly being picked on and beat up by his cousin, who was a bully who liked the idea of beating down the 'freak' that was made to slave away in the kitchen and around the home all the time."

"What happened?" a girl asked.

Ranma chuckled. "You know what Ataru is?"

"Yeah. He calls himself Coyote," another girl said.

"And what is a coyote? In the mystical sense?"

Blank looks came back. "I'll answer that," Regina stated. "In North American native legend, the Coyote is the Trickster God. Like your kitsune here in Japan." As the girls all nodded in understanding, she added, "Ataru's version of it is known as 'Tuyuki' on Yiziba. The Trickster of the Show. He's there to make sure that even the most powerful meta on Yiziba gets a good humiliation whenever it's needed. If you play fair with him, he plays fair with you. If you cross him, you're mincemeat."

"Like Harry's relatives found out shortly after he got his Gift and became the Warlock, the head of the Cosmic Mage Guild," Ranma finished. "All of Little Whinging – it's a town just southwest of London – got hit by a ton of curses and hexes to make all the people there suffer for all the crap they heaped over Harry. All because those useless relatives of his spread rumours about him being a delinquent and all that . . . when he was probably the nicest guy you'll ever meet. And the only way for them to get out of that mess is to honestly admit that they were wrong about Harry."

"What about you, Ranma-san?" a girl asked.

"Well, after beating the crap out of Oyaji – even if he's no martial artist, Ataru's got the knowledge of all his past-selves, so he knew all sorts of dirty tricks to use on creeps who were bigger and stronger than he was – he tried to persuade me to come to Yiziba and become this." Ranma waved to his chest in emphasis. "I turned him down. Dumbass decision at the time, but I didn't feel it was right to get a power-up like that when I hadn't really done something to earn it." He smirked. "Ataru never forgot me. After his brain was put back on-line thanks to Infinity and Soul Searcher, he sought me out and made the offer again. Persuaded me that it would be the best thing to do thanks to the mess Oyaji made out of my life. And when he found out about a race of bioroids the Niphentaxians were holding as slaves, I realised I had to do it."

"They were the people with that bomb that was in the Ginza," Ryūnosuke stated. "All of the ones here in town got a bad disease last night before the Weaver – she's a friend from over in Kansai that got rid of the bomb – sent 'em home."

"Why didn't Lum-san say anything about them, then?"

People turned as a scowling Megane came up to join them, followed by the Stormtroopers and some other men. "She was told _**never**_ to say a thing about 'em. Even if they were spyin' on all your diaries to make their stupid 'holy book,'" Ryūnosuke answered as she indicated the book in Megane's hand. "Believe it or not, Lum's friends from other planets – Benten, Oyuki and Ran, even Jariten – had their personal diaries probed into by these idiots. 'Cause they are – pardon me, WERE! – the big power in their little alliance of planet-states called the Galactic Federation, leaders on Uru told her to stay mum over it. And she _**hated**_ it, guys! These lifeless dorks have done shit in Lum's name that would sicken even Adolf Hitler and Joe Stalin . . . and she was told every friggin' time to _**not say a thing**_." A smirk. "Well, Ataru took care of it."

"Early birthday present," Molly stated.

Laughter filled the air. "Damn! So where is Lum-san now?" Megane stated. "Even if she cares for Ataru, she's still scared of this Yiziba place . . . "

"No longer," Regina stated. "The head of the Church of Lum, Ōgi, came by yesterday afternoon to 'rescue' Lum from the 'great evil.' Ataru had his ship blown up, had Infinity send the idiots back to their home planet and . . . " She giggled.

"Wiped out Ōgi's mind of all his memories of his precious 'Lum-sama,'" Molly finished.

Hearing that, the boys gaped, and then they howled with laughter. "Well, Lum-san gets her justice in the end!" Megane then declared. "Let's go inside, guys!"

The other boys whooped as they headed inside. The girls remained in place, many of them noting a smirk crossing Ranma's face. "What's so funny?" one girl asked.

Ranma smiled. "Ataru officially tagged Lum's horns for marriage yesterday," he then said, which made all the girls gasp. "As of now, they're married by Urusian law and tradition. She agreed to get her own Gift. It's the only way she could hope to have kids with Ataru; Yizibajohei can't mate with non-Yizibajohei." He then winked. "But girls, TRY not to say that to those idiots," he then pleaded, thumbing the school.

The girls all laughed . . .

* * *

A cabin on the northern polar continent of Yiziba, that moment . . .

It was a beautiful morning in this part of this pristine world located three hundred light-years from Earth. Given the high latitude of this location and the time of year, the polar sun of Kaeyu still shone in the low western sky; within a Yizibajohei storyline, it would finally begin to set as spring came on. Located on the slopes of one of the high mountains that stretched from the north pole of Yiziba in the general direction of the planet's unofficial "capital city" – known as "Habitation One" to the natives and "Butotyu" (for "Northern Capital") to the Terrans-turned-Yizibajohei; the pre-Dawn of Power name for the place had long been lost to history – far to the south, there was a simple log-frame cabin similar to what had existed in North America in the early days of American expansionism beyond the barrier of the Appalachians.

Within the master bedroom of this place, two nude girls were sleeping.

Of course, they had not been alone for most of the night; the man one was now married to by her planet's customs and the other had loved for five years had been with them until a half-hour before, when he had got up to get dressed and make some breakfast for his small group of houseguests. Neither Redet Lum or Jessica Wakefield had reacted to that; both had been quite tired after Ataru had introduced his Oni lover to what those like Jessica nicknamed "nookie time." She had only lasted three orgasms before passing out on the bed. Jessica herself had gone two more before falling asleep herself.

In the small kitchen, with a kettle of spring water slowly coming to a boil on top of the woodstove he had in this place, Moroboshi Ataru was calm and relaxed as he expertly cut up the vegetables and meat for the stew he was making today. As Shigaten Benten walked in from her guest bedroom dressed in a normal nightshirt, she paused at the doorway to watch her friend's husband work away at the stove. Noting the concentration on his work, the Fukunokami-born master armourer could only smile. She then perked as his eyes locked on her for a moment before turning back to his work. "'Morning."

"'Morning," she answered back as she walked over to gaze at what he was doing. "Damn! That's gonna look good when you get done with it. You do all your cooking?"

"Ayone taught me everything before she died," he admitted as he nodded out the window.

She looked. In a small grove of pine trees at the edge of the cleared space of the property – they were in the far northern temperate forest zone of Yiziba, about a hundred kilometres south of the permafrost line – was a small grave with a headstone. "The Nameless girl who got you Gifted," she noted. "Hell, she was more your mother than that useless nag back on Earth." Benten then shook her head. "Why?"

"I stopped asking that question about a week after I got my memories back, Benten," he admitted. "Given the way she acted towards me since I got back home – leading up to whatever agreement she and her husband made with Lum's parents on the _Kashin_ before Elle's people came to kidnap me and whisk me off to Baran City – I really can't figure her out. And truthfully, I don't want to figure it out anymore." A sigh. "It wasn't true child abuse like what Ryūnosuke went through, much less what Saotome Ranma, Margo Black and Harry Potter went through." As she nodded – Ataru knew that Benten had got a chance to read the Book of Pretty Girls – he sighed. "But it was a lot of emotional negligence in the long term. From both her and her husband. I can understand grief for a lost child, especially since said child's body vanished from the hospital and they couldn't get closure from what happened. But nearly FIFTEEN YEARS . . .?"

"They were fit for the nuthouse, you mean," she mused.

"Maybe. But it's not my responsibility to determine that now, Benten. Tariko's given them the facts of Life and they have to live with their choices now."

She shuddered as she remembered what Lum and the others told her about Ataru's own counterpart from another dimension who now was his adopted sister and the only real family he had. "Damn . . .!" she exhaled. "What was she thinking? Chargin' down to Earth with a gun . . . and DESTRUCTO of all people was waiting for her?"

"She was supporting her friend from a threat that she was raised from birth to always fear with every fibre of her being," he noted. "And she probably didn't understand what Destructo was. The instant the word 'Yiziba' was mentioned . . . "

"And 'Mother of All Fight Scenes.'"

"Yeah."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Why didn't you finish off Ōgi four months ago?" she asked. "Once you got all the Avalonians freed and took away his space factories, you had him on the ropes. Haruhi could've beamed that bomb to Phentax Twenty right there and it would have been over."

"And the Ipraedies would've hit Uru at the same time."

Benten perked. "That proven?"

"Yep," Ataru said as he moved to put the vegetables and meat into the boiling spring water he had got for the purpose. "Ayumu's over-exuberance in getting me off Uru was noticed right away in Ipraedos City. There was the Devil Invader himself in the hospital, hit by unknown means unable to fight for his people. There was the Devil's Daughter Lum, having lost her 'husband' and was being confined to Uru because no one in Onishuto could figure out what happened that day. The Niphentaxians were out in full force from Neptune all the way to Toshitto in the Slot." As Benten nodded – the "Slot" between the Earth/Neptune system and the Toshitto system (whose sun Terrans called Chi Eridani) was a thirty light-year long tube of space two light-years wide that wasn't claimed by the Ipraedies Empire or one of the galactic superpowers in the local cluster, the Imperial Dominion of Noukiios – he added, "If I hit them then, the Ipraedies would have swarmed everyone from Gomiana to Uru. Probably hit some Noukiite colonies and start a general war." As she winced, he sighed. "Not on my head."

A nod. "I hear you."

"Atop that, when I got back together with Lum in Tomobiki, I could sense how rattled she was because of what Ayumu did," he added. "Remember how clingy she was to me for about a month or so after I got back to Earth?" As Benten nodded, he smiled. "She needed the chance to relax and be herself again. If I hit her with this . . . " He sighed. "She might have done something I couldn't save her from."

She blinked, and then she grinned as she patted his shoulder. "I always knew – even if I couldn't understand you most of the time – how much you really cared for her in the long run. All the shit you put up to from her and all that? Even before Elle?" As he smirked, she walked over to pull the kettle off the woodstove so it could cool down and she could prepare some mugs of hot liquid for everyone. "I always knew she was lucky to have a guy like you around her all the time. Just wished you would've stopped acting the fool and said it to her finally." She then smirked. "But for six months, you couldn't do that . . . and for six months afterward, you needed to wait for her to calm down and the right time to come to get that bomb off Earth."

"Yeah."

"'Morning . . . "

Both turned as a tired Lum came into the room. Benten smirked on noting the slight stagger in her friend's walk. "You okay, Lum?" she then teased.

Lum grunted. "Yeah, I'm okay . . . "

Benten snickered as Ataru rolled his eyes . . .

* * *

Outside Onishuto on Uru, that moment . . .

"_**LUM'S WHERE?**_"

"On Yiziba of course."

A wild scream of panic escaped the mouths of most of the small group of people who were now in the living room of the Invader home near the edge of the Terrible Swamps. It was late afternoon on this part of Uru, with the business day in the great megalopolis to the southeast coming to a close. And while there were some loathing looks coming Elizabeth Wakefield's way from several of Redet Invader's guests, the wild panic in the eyes of almost all of them – save Redet Traveller and the president of Uru himself, General Hozan Lana – convinced the Great Sage of the Circle of Thought that she didn't need to call down some assistance from the orbiting _Discovery_ in the person of Kasuga Ayumu to quell the crowds. Atop that, the Californian wasn't alone; Oyuki was with her now, as was Redet Jariten and the battle doll version of Lum from another dimension, who was dressed in Lum's normal strapless tiger-striped bikini top and panties. When Elizabeth had introduced the other Lum and explained her origins, EVERYONE had been rattled to learn that their counterparts on another world – having faced the Mother of All Fight Scenes AGAIN! – were now either dead or enslaved by the Ipraedies.

"Has she gone to the Cave of the Future?" Traveller then asked.

"Not yet," Elizabeth stated. "Ataru will insist on a full breakfast – a nice meat-and-vegetable stew with some koch'ujang sauce to spice it up for her – before she goes to the Cave. When I got my Gift, I was operating on an empty stomach. I was sick for a few days afterward and I had to miss school, which didn't please a few people. Ataru himself knows what undergoing a Gifting in that state of being is like, so he'll make sure she's fully ready before she faces the Conservator and the Great Crystal."

"Then there's time to save her!"

That was Seq Yethis, Lana's chief-of-staff and Rei's uncle . . . and the known leader of the Imperial Round of Uru, the "old boys' club" of would-be feudal princes who would like nothing more than to have the clock turned back two hundred years to the time when an Emperor ruled Uru and most of the people on this world were treated no better than serfs in Russia before the nineteenth century. Not to mention said princes looking greedily on other worlds such as Yiziba and various Noukiite colonies to expand their despotic domain. "Yes, there is time to restore Lum to a place she _**doesn't**_ wish to be, General," Elizabeth calmly noted as Oyuki tried not to laugh and Ten smirked. "Time to restore her to the 'marble lady' I've heard some of your trash info-nets call her, especially after that miserable business in Lecashuto six years ago."

As many of the Urusians there winced on hearing that, the Californian smirked. "Time to restore Lum to her place as a living godhead for a mad 'religion' of _**maniacs**_ and _**mass murderers**_ on a planet that's been effectively _**castrated**_ both economically and militarily!" she snarled. "Time to restore Lum to a place in a city on Earth where she was worshipped as an idol star . . . but where she would _**never**_ be happy. For there's no way under Heaven that the man she loves more than Life itself would ever return to live full-time on Earth." She then smirked. "So yes, there is time . . . to condemn Redet Lum to _**DIE!**_ Please, go right on ahead! Do what you need to do. Go race over to Yiziba . . . " – she paused as people screamed out in horror on hearing that name – " . . . and drag her off in chains back here. And if you're lucky, you'll make her a MARTYR to whatever pathetic causes you support . . . for she WILL die, people! I'm not a telepath like Soul Searcher is, but I've confirmed through her that Lum WOULD rather die than spend a day away from Moroboshi Ataru." She smirked. "So you all lose," she then declared as she glared at Yethis and several of his friends.

"Why should we believe a _**tailless monkey**_ like you?" Yethis then snarled.

"Careful, _relav'sh_!" Elizabeth snarled back in accent-less Oni, which made the Urusians all gape at her . . . though both Traveller and Lana were smirking at her unleashing that vile insult on the leader of the Imperial Round. "I don't care if you believe me or not, _Mister_ Yethis." As Rei's uncle shuddered on hearing her address him WITHOUT rank, Elizabeth then gazed at Lana. "Mister President, you – as the leader of the Union of Uru – have the true final say when it comes to the safety of one of your citizens. You saw the recording of the communiqué between my ship and this home last night Earth-time. You heard what Lum herself confessed, her words confirmed by both Ataru and the Lady Infinity. You KNOW that any incarnation of Infinity finds it hard to lie for any reason. What do YOU think about what Lum finally decided to do?"

Lana sighed. He personally could make himself say the name of the adopted home planet of the young lady before him, though he kept to usual conventions when it came to referring to the Yizibajohei. And while he never himself experienced a close encounter with one of that race as Traveller did in his youth, the current President of Uru hadn't got to his post by being naïve or ignorant of things around him. While he did put up to the antics of the Imperial Round, he knew that their support amongst the general population was slowly ebbing away. The news of Lum – the daughter of Uru's most popular serving military officer and the woman credited with opening official first contact with _**Earth**_ – actually BECOMING Yizibajohei would be a mortal body-blow to the Imperial Round; in the eyes of Yethis and his cronies, Lum was the future first Empress of the Second Imperium . . . even if she would just be turned into a living _baby factory _to produce a son to become Emperor. And a FULL-BLOODED Urusian son at that; such was what drove Yethis to promote a relationship between Lum and Rei in the first place . . . and what had made him and his friends froth at the mouth whenever Moroboshi Ataru was spoken of. And while he WAS concerned about what might happen to Lum once she DID become Tempest – as Elizabeth believed would happen – he had to admit, what HAD happened in the Terrible Swamps ten years ago had been a wonderful thing.

A CRIPPLED Lum would have hurt many people BEYOND her immediate family.

That two of "They Who Must Never Be Named" had SAVED her from such a fate . . .

He then smirked. "I will not be accused by anyone in this Union of IGNORING Lum's own honour by acting as if what Master Coyote and Lady Infinity did for her ten years ago never happened," he stated, which made Invader and his wife gape and many of the others in the room pale. "The true story of Lady Danu and what provoked the Mother of All Fight Scenes between Uru and Yiziba fifty years before the Union Revolution has been kept hidden from the general population for far too long. People have been raised to be ignorant of the truth for no reason that has benefitted the Urusian people at all."

"Hear, hear," Traveller chanted, nodding.

Lana sighed. "I must confess, Moroboshi Ataru would have made quite a warlord in his own right had he been born Oni in lieu of Terran," he then said as he gazed on Invader. "Wasn't that what you said at the end of the Tag Race, Invader? 'He will be a marvellous son-in-law.'" As Invader flustered, Lana then smirked. "Besides, the lad came here to break up that engagement party you threw for Lum some months later. AND he saw to it that idiot Ōgi was finally put down . . . WHILE AT THE SAME TIME, freeing their slaves from oppression, thus guaranteeing that our defensive needs WILL be met in the near future AND presenting us with a potential NEW ALLY in the Republic of Avalon."

Invader blinked, and then he hummed. "Damn . . . never thought of THAT!"

"That's why you're still just a CAPTAIN, son!" Traveller stated as he gazed knowingly at his grandson. "You may be one passionate warlord, but you still allow your vision to narrow too much at the wrong time." As Invader blushed, the old Marine general sighed as he gazed on the unmoving synthezoid now standing beside Elizabeth. "Was that what happened in your universe, child? With Ōgi and his fools?"

"I never knew about the Avalonians, Great-grandfather," the battle doll replied. "But given that the Yizibajohei that did help my Darling become Tariko DID wreck Phentax Two along the way, I doubt they might have escaped without loss, especially for those who were on Phentax Two when that bomb hit or in the fleet that attacked Yiziba itself." As whimpers and moans escaped many of the people there, the doll snarled, "_**WILL YOU ALL STOP THAT, PLEASE?**_" As people gasped, she crossed her arms. "It's a NAME! That's all it is! A NAME! What is so wrong with hearing a simple planet's NAME?"

"Most likely, it came from Ataru's past-self," Elizabeth stated.

"What do you mean, Elizabeth-san?" Oyuki asked.

A smile. "That Tuyuki was a mean one back then. He was the one who prodded and pushed my sister's past-self to finally get serious with Redet Danu after she was abandoned on Yiziba after the Tag Race." A sigh. "When he saw what the Imperials did to Danu – AT THE INSTIGATION OF DANU'S PARENTS, BY THE WAY! – he became VERY ANGRY! Far and away angrier than ANY version of him has ever been!" She gazed on Oyuki. "He got Infinity back then to cause rather large _**boulders**_ to smash down on the heads of people who said 'Yiziba' or 'Yizibajohei.'" As the Neptunian princess gasped and Traveller laughed on hearing that, Elizabeth winked. "By the time the majority of the damage was done, NO ONE wanted to say the name for risk of spending time in a hospital because of severe concussions!" A sigh. "But he called it off when DANU asked him to stop that. After SHE felt she got the justice SHE deserved for what had happened to her. So think hard about _**that**_, ladies and gentlemen," she said as she stood up. "Your ancestors were all saved in the end by the woman you LEFT BEHIND on our planet. I'll make sure that when Windtalker sends the news report to INN on Zeiwan to be broadcast, that's included." She then gazed on the battle doll. "Keep everyone in this house safe, Lum."

"_Tcha_!"

And with a flash of energy, the Great Sage of the Circle of Thought was gone. After a moment's silence as people considered that, Oyuki hummed. "So the monsters you – and yes, I, too – feared have hearts and souls. And _consciences_ as well."

"Yes, they do, don't they?" Traveller stated.

"Indeed." Oyuki then perked. "Oh, by the way, just in case people wonder what will soon happen, I'll be asking the Lady Infinity to unleash the Infinite Wave on Neptune to finally clean up the planet from what the Seifukusu unleashed a millennia ago. Any words from certain offices _**here**_ will be ignored from this point on." She was gazing knowingly at Yethis when she said that. "Do have a good day, please."

And with a swirl of icy winds and snow, she was off to Triton . . .

* * *

In orbit over Earth . . .

"_**WHAT HAPPENED?**_"

A still-bandaged Rupa shuddered as he gazed painfully at his great-grandfather, who had come aboard the royal yacht shortly after the _Discovery_ had left the solar system. Both of them were enjoying a pleasant meal even if some of Rupa's aides were helping him eat due to the casts on his arms. "They Who Must Never Be Named are involved, Great-grandfather," the young prince of Yaminokuni stated. "Moroboshi Ataru is one of them. Somehow, he convinced Lum to go with him to That Place to keep her 'safe' from me. Even worse, that moron Ōgi showed up to try to 'save' her from the 'great evil.' Moroboshi blew the idiot's ship up from his friend's ship before they left."

Upa scowled as he considered that. He had gone to Uru itself the previous day to confront Traveller and his family about a certain long-standing debt that had to be fulfilled. As the Yaminokuni were not frequent travellers in this part of the galaxy despite their being part of the Galactic Federation of Planet-States, the travel restrictions put into effect by the Urusian government hadn't slowed him down from visiting Onishuto to look up an old friend. And while Invader had been adamant about their NOT being any deal between their families – despite Traveller's admitting of what happened 120 years ago – the First Patriarch was determined to make it all succeed. Given how vicious SHE was when it came to his poor great-grandson . . .!

"I doubt she'll actually go through with a Gifting once she faces the Great Crystal of Power," Upa then declared. "Lum's just doing this to humour Master Tuyuki given how much he's done for her, especially in the last few days. But given the true nature of his line-name, no relationship with him could last. Master Tuyuki was the primary cause of a lot of pain, death and misery during the Mother of All Fight Scenes. Lum will know this; such would have been drilled into her from the day she could walk, fly and talk." A smirk. "And there are the Avalonians as well."

Rupa painfully chuckled. The royal yacht had received signals from Barsoom in the 82 Erandi system and a Seifukusu colony orbiting Van Maanen's Star that the takeover of both worlds – as part of an operation that had targeted a total of THIRTY-FIVE star systems, thirty Seifukusu and five Ipraedies – had gone off without a hitch. None of the Ipraedies worlds had been inhabited when the Avalonians – using ships as big as the Eternal Voyager itself! – hit the planets. The Ipraedies border posts in the nether-space between systems had been easily dealt with by the simple expedient of transporting the soldiers there and safely conveying them back to Ipraedos itself. The Seifukusu worlds the Avalonians targeted – all of whom had small military garrisons on them numbering at most ten thousand per world – had been cleared out the very same way, the settlers and soldiers taken back to the closest old Dominion colony to Sol orbiting XI Pegasi . . . over FORTY LIGHT-YEARS AWAY from Earth! And while the governments on both Ipraedos and Dominos were howling with anger at the fact that the Niphentaxians' former slaves had gone after THEIR planets, the fact that Terran-born Yizibajohei-type metahumans were said to be present on each of the planets was keeping the fleets of both powers at their home starbases. No doubt, the widespread news of what had happened to the Army of Lum was keeping planners to both Earth's galactic west and east from sending their own crews on what was a suicide mission.

"Yeah, there would be many who would wish to bed the 'Liberator,'" Rupa then mused. "And I strongly doubt that given what Moroboshi himself went through at Lum's hands – if one interprets what the Niphentaxians found out – over the last year that he's fully forgiven her for all the 'mistakes' she made concerning him."

"True." Upa sighed. "They were talking about possibly making sure Lum was rescued and returned to safety on Uru. No doubt Lum's friends will be involved in that."

"Commander Shigaten's daughter and Princess Oyuki."

"Yes. Neither of them would allow their best friend to become a monster." Upa then smirked. "Let's make our way to the Oniboshi system and hide ourselves close to Uru. We'll monitor local communications and see if Lum has returned back. Once we have a clear sighting, we'll go in and take her, and then head back to Muzlim Madiina."

Rupa nodded. "Alright."

Upa then chuckled . . .

* * *

. . . though if he knew what had now emerged from hyperspace out of the dark side of Earth's moon, he would have new cause for concern.

As the mobile home that had been purchased for the silver-haired Yaminokuni teenager by a sympathetic elder of her people slowly came out to get a full view of the bright blue world in the distance, the mistress of this craft could only scowl as she glared at the two larger ships in high orbit over the landmass known to Terrans as "Japan." Noting that both ships were royal yachts – which were only used by the man she loved and the senile old idiot who had arranged to literally force Carla into exile from Yaminokuni months before – she could only purr in anticipation as she considered what next to do.

"You won't get away from me _this_ time, Rupa . . .!" she hissed. "I _**won't**_ let you go!"

She then relaxed herself as she moved to keep her ship in the shadows . . .

_**To be continued . . .**_

* * *

**WRITER'S NOTES:**

1) **Bruce Patman** was _Sweet Valley High_'s resident rich snob character; in effect, he was the _SVH_ version of Mendō Shūtarō. Bruce was depicted as dating loads of girls and dumping them at the same time throughout the series . . . though, as witness his brief relationship with Regina Morrow (which began in book #18, _Head Over Heels_, and effectively ended in book #40, _On the Edge_), he has his good moments. In the sequel novel to the series written by Francine Pascal, _Sweet Valley Confidential_, Bruce would eventually become lovers with Elizabeth Wakefield, having long nursed a crush on her from the day his parents died and she was at his side supporting him all the way.

2) **Amy Sutton**, in the _Sweet Valley Twins_ series depicted when everyone was in the last year of elementary school, was Elizabeth Wakefield's best friend. Unlike most of the Sweet Valley cast, Amy would move with her family to Connecticut shortly after she entered junior high school, returning back in book #29 of Sweet Valley High, _Bitter Rivals_. By then, Amy had become a boy-chasing, self-centred type who was more akin to Jessica Wakefield than Elizabeth. I've always been intrigued by this character, so I made her **Trebuchet** in _The Doctor Is In_ at the Anime Add-venture. As Trebuchet, the Shot-Put Siren of the South, Amy is a FISS-type at the same level of power as Jessica.

3) For those _Buffy_ fans out there who want to know when in the series this story would be, I'd set it around the first season of the television series. As I have only seen a couple of episodes – my exposure to the series has pretty much been through fan fiction stories – I won't write anything detailed about Molly's time in Sunnydale at this time. But there is a possibility that a story might follow in the future.

4) In _Ranma_ continuity, this story is set several months after the end of the manga series. By this time, Ranma himself is in the second year of high school. And I'm not portraying Akane as the "mallet-welding maniac" that is often seen in fan fiction stories where Ranma finally calls it off and goes after someone else; in this situation, her insecurities and the fact that Ranma had killed an IMMORTAL to save her life actually made her intimidated by him . . . to the point where she would fall back into "default mode" and accuse him of everything under the sun. Given other peoples' propensity for believing her over him, it would eventually lead to the situation Ranma eventually described to Regina and Molly. As for Nabiki, I'm playing her as she is depicted in canon: A selfish, self-centred girl who only cares for herself and doesn't care for anyone else, not even her family. As she is probably the only "sensible" character in the Tendō household, Nabiki would most likely see bringing Ranma back to Nerima as the worst thing possible to happen to her. And given what Ranma no doubt did to her to pay her back for all the moronic things she did to him . . .!

5) Translations: **Ofuda** – A special charm often used by Shintō priests to ward off evil spirits; **Jigai** – Female version of seppuku; **Storyline** – Yizibajohei month; **Relav'sh** – A very ugly and untranslatable insult in the Urusian language; **INN** – The Intergalactic News Network, the local cluster's version of CNN which is based on the planet Zeiwan.

6) **Winston Egbert** is the resident class clown in _SVH_. A man who does his best to make other people happy, he is known for having quite a huge crush on Jessica Wakefield. He also is very good friends with Elizabeth Wakefield's boyfriend Todd Wilkins. In the universe of this story, he is also **Lightmage**, a technomage (a person who can fuse the power of magic and technology together). Because he's not a "pure" magical-meta, Winston does not belong to the Cosmic Mage Guild. He is not listed in the main part of the Book of Pretty Girls, but he came to Yiziba at age 12 with the rest of the Boosters (he was the only male member of the group) to get his Gift. To that end, he is listed in the Annex to the Book, indexed under Jessica's entry.

7) Ranma's magical mirror-clone appeared in the "Copy Ranma" part of the _Ranma_ manga storyline (manga episodes #367-370).

8) **Windtalker** is a metahuman reporter. Known as the "Voice of the Show," she has clairvoyant and teleportational abilities that can take her anywhere on Earth in the virtual wink of an eye. In reality, she is **Asakura Kazumi** of _Mahō Sensei Negima_.

9) The issue of Neptune's environmental cleanup was an idea I introduced into recent stories I've written. In my eyes, the Urusian Imperials – who want to do everything they can to keep other elements of the Federation under their control – wish to keep the Neptunians destitute towards any possibility of returning back to their true home planet (which they couldn't live on anymore). Thus any attempts by foreign powers such as Noukiios and Yehisril to help in Neptune's full restoral to habitability would not be welcome on Uru . . . and with Oyuki's people being so weak militarily, it would be easy for people like Yethis to lean on Oyuki's father King Fuyu to shut up about it and "maintain Neptune as a memorial" to the evil of the Seifukusu Dominion.

10) As for Carla's presence near Earth at the end of this part, I take that from the fact that while the rescue party was warping towards Yaminokuni in _The Final Chapter_, Carla's own ship was heading DIRECTLY towards Ran's vessel. So where was Carla going? No doubt, she was intending to intercept Rupa over Earth, so I played that up here.

* * *

**The Book of Pretty Girls_, Entry 449:_**

**_MUSTANG  
_The One Never To Be Tamed**

**Generation:** 27th  
**Age at Gifting:** 17 years, 2 months

**Real Name:** SAOTOME Ranma  
**Relatives:** SAOTOME Genma (_father, relationship not acknowledged_), SAOTOME (_née_ MASAKI) Nodoka (_mother, relationship not acknowledged_)  
**Affiliation:** Self  
**Base of Operations:** Currently mobile; formerly Nerima Ward, Metropolis of Tōkyō, State of Japan  
**Alignment:** Face/Neutral  
**Identity:** Ranma is well-known throughout Japan; his being Yizibajohei is top secret.  
**Race/Culture of Birth:** Terran/Japanese  
**Place of Birth:** Nerima Ward, Metropolis of Tōkyō, State of Japan  
**Gender:** Male (_can also transform into a female_)  
**Height:** 172 cm (5' 8") (_as boy_), 158 cm (5' 3") (_as girl_)  
**Weight:** 81.5 kg (180 lb) (_as boy_), 45.3 kg (100 lb) (_as girl_)  
**Eyes:** Blue  
**Hair:** Black (_as boy_), Red (_as girl_)

**Gifts:  
_Metahuman Strength, Toughness and Physical Invulnerability:_** Mustang is one of the top two FISS-type metas of Yiziba. In Earth gravity, s/he could dead-lift fifty thousand tonnes with one arm without any risk to the integrity of his/her body. Because of such power, s/he can resist anything up to the direct on-skin impact of either thermonuclear or anti-matter weapons up to the explosive power of 21 exajoules of energy (equivalent to five gigatonnes of TNT exploding all at once). S/he has the ability to survive in all forms of atmosphere (including airless space) for hours without the need to replenish his/her body with oxygen. As an extension of same, s/he cannot be poisoned by any normal means and can ingest most forms of solids or liquids save for anything based on Grade Three mesonium ("ebony meson").  
**_Psionic/Magical Mental Shield:_** As an extension of his/her invulnerability, Mustang can also resist any form of telepathic, empathic or magical tampering with his/her mind. S/he cannot be possessed by any disembodied spirit or other form of metaphysical entity such as what are termed "gods" or "devils" by others. Only those mega-metas such as **Infinity** (_see Entry 1_) have the power to break down Mustang's mental defences.  
**_Flight:_** Mustang has the ability to fly at hypersonic speeds in atmosphere, just above sonic speeds while in a liquid medium like water and a quarter of the speed of light in space. S/he has no ability to warp herself between solar systems without aide.  
**_Enhanced Physical Senses:_** Mustang's physical senses are quite acute as an extension of his/her physical abilities and his/her in-depth martial arts training. S/he can see with accuracy out to about twenty kilometres from his/her person in atmosphere. S/he can hear even minute sounds from dozens of metres away. S/he can smell even faint traces of odour up to several hours since the scent was first created. His/her taste buds are quite sensitive to even minute changes of flavour. And his/her skin is quite sensitive to the touch of even minute animals such as fleas. Thanks to his/her long studies in martial arts, Mustang can easily discipline his/herself to negate the input of such sensations upon his/her mind via a form of self-meditation.  
**_Martial Arts Skills:_** Thanks to over a decade of intensive – some would also say abusive – martial arts training in Musabetsu Kakutō-ryū ("School of Indiscriminate Grappling") and other such paths of martial studies, Mustang is one of the top hand-to-hand physical combatants on Earth today for his/her peer group. With such study, Mustang possesses a keen sixth sense that allows him/her to sense any potential threat to his/her person. S/he can easily analyse a person's own physical skills with but a glance at one's ki signature. S/he can produce devastating long-range attacks with his/her ki that – now enhanced by his/her Gift – could theoretically devastate whole mountain ranges if unleashed at full strength without regard to collateral damage.  
**_Involuntary Gender Morphing (the "Jusenkyō Curse"):_** Thanks to exposure to the _Niángnìquán_ ("Spring of Drowned Girl") cold water spring in the valley of _Zhòuquán-xiāng_ ("Pools of Sorrow") in the Qīnghǎi Province of China, Mustang has the involuntary extra ability to morph himself to the very DNA level into what he could have been if he was born a girl. Such is triggered by exposure to water below lukewarm stage onto his person. In a transformed state as a woman, Mustang does not lose any of his powers or skills even if he loses 14 centimetres (five inches) of height and over 36 kilograms (80 pounds) of body mass on that transformation; the extra mass is shifted into a magical pocket dimension which can be opened and closed only by the triggering medium for the curse (water). When a girl, Mustang can be restored to male format by exposing her body to water above lukewarm stage on her person. Due to the influence of the power of _Zhòuquán-xiāng_, Mustang often finds him/herself transformed into the other gender thanks to very odd quirks of luck. As the curse is ebony meson-based, no known means of removing it from Mustang can be employed. The only way such a curse can be removed from Mustang's person is for him/her to father/mother offspring; such will complete the cycle of life-to-death-to-life that _Zhòuquán-xiāng_ ultimately represents.

**Personality:**

The One Never to Be Tamed.

Mustang is the epitome of the true modern Yizibajohei; a being that lives by his/her own rules and woe betide anyone who would dare try to suppress such a being down. Blessed not only with the top level of physical power that can be granted by the Great Crystal of Power but an equal amount of mental invulnerability, Mustang is a being that is as unstoppable in his/her own way as Infinity is in hers.

Unlike most of those who had received their Gifts thanks to the influence of **Coyote** (_see Entry 0_), Saotome Ranma did not accept Moroboshi Ataru's offer to gain a Gift when they first met when both were ten years old. Having just survived a brutal training regimen known as the _Neko-ken_ ("Cat Fist") – which had transformed Ranma into a nearly-unbeatable berserker that could be brought forth thanks to a then-incurable case of ailurophobia; simply expose Ranma to a cat and he would go berserk – Ranma was tempted to take the offer for a Gift, but eventually turned it down, believing it was proper to **_earn_** one's way to power. Of course, the man who subjected Ranma to the _Neko-ken_ – his father Genma – was more than relieved; even if the Trickster of the Show was not a true martial artist in the proper sense of the turn, the boy was a vicious and dirty fighter who understood the one true rule of any sort of fight scene: **_Win it!_**

Ranma and Ataru wouldn't encounter each other for over six years. In the meantime, Ranma continued on his journey of mastery in his family school of martial arts. Such a quest took him eventually to Qīnghǎi in China, where he encountered the springs of the valley of _Zhòuquán-xiāng_, the Pools of Sorrow. Exposed to one such pool, where a young maiden had drowned over fifteen centuries ago, Ranma was cursed to become what then was his worst nightmare: A "weak" girl. Thanks to Genma's borderline-misogynist worldview and his selfish desire to transform Ranma into a "man above men" per a promise made to Ranma's mother Nodoka, the young martial arts prodigy was almost borderline barbaric by the standards of his/her native culture. What was worse, Genma had been quite willing to give away his child's hand in marriage to anyone whom he could trick into giving basic commodities – such as food – to live on for the next day. All of those promises eventually came to roost when Ranma began to reside full-time in the Nerima Ward in Tōkyō when s/he found himself engaged to Tendō Akane, youngest daughter of Genma's old training partner, in hopes of uniting the two families.

Over the next year, Ranma found him/herself engaged in untold scrapes with dozens of opponents, many of whom gladly took advantage of his/her own naïveté and lack of experience in dealing with social situations to entrap him/her in so many conflicting obligations of honour that would have – in the classical Japanese sense – demanded a/he commit ritual suicide to appease everyone. That was the state s/he was in when Coyote – just recovered from his seven months of being made to forget who and what he was – found him in. Once again, an offer was made. This time, Ranma accepted, realising Ataru had a point when he stated that since being honourable demanded being master of one's destiny first, one could not accept any claim of marriage or honouring seppuku pacts when the people enforcing those pacts simply REFUSED to acknowledge Ranma's own viewpoints on each situation. In other words, those trying to use honour on Ranma were, by their own selfish desires, shooting themselves in the foot since Ranma's acquiescence was needed to truly have any influence on his/her life.

After a trip to Yiziba, Ranma gained the very power to do just that.

Though he did try to make things work with Akane after his Gifting, Ranma eventually came to realise that his/her would-be life-mate simply didn't trust the man/woman she was engaged to in ways that she trusted others, including some of Ranma's very own rivals. When that mistrust eventually made Nodoka demand that Ranma either bow to Akane's desire or end his life, a mother's worst nightmare was realised when the Untameable One renounced her and her husband, then took advantage of a friend's agreement with Japan's head-of-state to form his OWN branch of the Saotome Clan, forever free of his parents' influence. With that, Mustang left Nerima for the last time, hitting the road to seek out new challenges to test himself against.

Where such will lead him, only Fate will answer . . . for those who once tried to corral Mustang found THIS particular wild horse too much to take.


	8. The Shot Put Siren of the South

Nerima, the Tendō home and dōjō, after breakfast . . .

"So what the hell do we do now?"

The small crowd of people in the living room of the beautiful home located near the Ōizumi interchange between the Tōkyō Ring Road and the Kan'etsu Expressway could only slump in defeat and despair. Save for one person; Tendō Nabiki – who would have preferred to be at school; her father had ordered her to remain at home for this "important family meeting" – was calmly sipping her tea after enjoying a less-than-satisfactory breakfast created by her elder sister Kasumi. But it was understandable. Saotome Ranma had been particularly cruel to the eldest daughter after he had destroyed his family's honour sword and declared himself free of Genma and Nodoka.

Gazing at the others in the room, Nabiki tried not to smirk on noting the helplessness in the eyes of the people around her. None of them had ever expected Ranma to do something like what he did two days ago. While renouncing all links with his parents had always been a possibility – especially since Nodoka had come back into Ranma's life clutching a piece of paper with her son's handprint on it in one hand, the family sword in the other – it would have been somewhat pyrrhic in the long run. After all, by renouncing the Saotome Clan, Ranma could be seen by other people as actually _running away_ from his "honourable obligations" to his parents. And since it would have been child's play to learn his origins through a quick check of the local Family Registrar offices, the fact that the young martial arts prodigy was effectively _**rōnin**_ wouldn't do him many favours despite his father's petty thievery over the years.

In effect, Genma and Nodoka would have gained something of a victory if Ranma had left them, renounced his family name and walked away from his obligations forever.

But Ranma had a final ace card to play.

And he had played it masterfully.

A quick check with the local Family Registrar office yesterday had shown the level of damage that he had unleashed on his parents: Ranma had Genma and Nodoka declared _**incompetent**_ in his explanation for removing himself from the _koseki_ for the Saotome Clan of Nerima. Even more so, there had been a note appended to the family records FORBIDDING any action that would allow that note to be struck off the books.

For the rest of their lives, Genma and Nodoka would be marked by that one phrase:

_**Incompetent parents**_.

Such a phrase would only translate one way on the streets: _**Child abusers**_.

If, by any chance, Ranma's now-legally EX-parents had another child – Nabiki was not sure if Nodoka had undergone menopause recently, but it was quite likely given the older woman's insane obsession for her "manly son" to father children to give her grandbabies even when the poor man was nowhere close to being emotionally ready to be a father! – said child would then be monitored closely by the authorities to ensure that the parents didn't do something to permanently harm said child, thus necessitating the child's removal from their custody and adoption into another family.

And if Nodoka was NOT capable of mothering children, any attempts at having a mistress mother a child for Genma would result in the same thing.

Adopting a child? Same result.

In effect, the Saotome Clan of Nerima would _**die out**_ with Genma and Nodoka.

What was worse was this: Ranma had somehow been allowed to keep his family name and form an AUTONOMOUS branch of the Saotome Clan in _**Nishitōkyō**_, just west of Nerima!

To add insult to injury, he had been declared an _**emancipated minor**_ along the way.

No longer legally or morally bound to obey a thing his birth-parents demanded of him.

And if Genma and Nodoka couldn't do a thing, neither could anyone else in Japan.

"Nothing you can do," Nabiki then stated. "Everything that Ranma-kun did was fully on the up-and-up. Furthermore, he must have had a lot of high-level support to ram all that through the Family Registrar like he did. I didn't get any direct answer as to who it was, but by the sounds of it, the Imperial Palace Agency was involved."

Silence.

More silence.

Still more silence.

And then . . .

"The _**Emperor**_ . . .?" a white-faced Tendō Akane gasped.

"Again, I don't have proof . . . but it makes a lot of sense," Nabiki stated, the annoyance she felt at being distracted by such a moronic thing quite evident by the slight twitch in the tendons over her eyes. "Ranma-kun – for all his faults – DOES try his best to live an honourable life given the lack of any serious social training his father gave him. Of course, his mother wasn't any better in that regard." She deliberately didn't look at the couple in question when she said that, which made Kasumi frown. Nabiki ignored that as well; it was high time "Miss Sweet and Innocent" finally got the facts of Life straight. "And despite all of Akane-chan's claims to the contrary over the last year and more, Ranma-kun NEVER forced himself on anyone. Not any of his fiancées, not Shampoo-chan or Kodachi-chan or anyone else." A shrug. "It's not his fault that everyone else didn't want to open their eyes on that regard. And since his mother _**went back on her word**_ to enforce a SEPPUKU CONTRACT – which is blatantly ILLEGAL in this country – that she herself declared fulfilled, Ranma-kun was within his rights to renounce her once and for all time." Again, she didn't gaze at Nodoka, who had flinched on hearing that accusation. "As for his father . . . "

"Yeah, the stupid jackass did enough shit over the last decade and more to make sure he'd NEVER earn any respect from Ran-chan. Much less get any help from anyone to get Ran-chan to come back here," a very quiet Kuonji Ukyō mused, also not looking at Genma on saying that. She had been as devastated by the news of Ranma breaking the engagement with her – she had learned this when a letter had arrived at her restaurant yesterday bearing a copy of the _koseki_ for the Saotomes of Nerima, showing what Ranma had done – as Akane herself was. Even if her father Haruka was now quite satisfied by what had happened – the destruction of the Saotome family of Nerima had been Ukyō's original goal in the first place – the fact that Ranma hadn't even come by to say good-bye had hurt her bad.

"So what CAN we do about this?" Akane then pleaded.

"Absolutely nothing," Nabiki stated. "The Chinese went back to their valley yesterday after Elder Cologne declared Ranma-kun unfit to be Shampoo's wife. I somehow suspect it was because he'd become so good – as he showed when he took down Saffron – in the Art that made her do that, not what Ranma-kun did to his mother." Again, no look towards Nodoka – who seemed to have aged ten years overnight after she had been slapped across the cheek, punched in the gut and watched the Saotome honour blade be destroyed right before her eyes . . . before she had finally learned how much her son _**didn't**_ care for her at all as a person, to say anything of being his _**mother**_! – when she said that. "And since whoever helped this happen clearly are affiliated with the ONE power in this country that not even Nodoka would cross . . . " – Again, she ignored Kasumi's disapproving look towards her not addressing the older woman properly – " . . . there's nothing you can do to reconcile, to say anything of pressing an engagement between you two. After all, you never really wanted it in the first place despite you coming to care for each other over time. Before your own damned insecurities destroyed THAT!"

Akane winced on hearing those sharp words from Nabiki, which made Kasumi frown even more. As before, Nabiki ignored that look, which was slowly being noted by the elder sister. "There's _hope_ . . .?" a pale and haggard Tendō Sōun then moaned.

"Nope," Nabiki stated. "Ranma-kun's did all he could to make it clear how much he cared for Akane-chan. His actions did all the talking since he never really understood how to express his feelings in words. Again, his parents are at fault there." No glance at Nodoka or Genma on saying that. "No, it was Akane-chan who destroyed it." As Akane winced yet again, Nabiki smirked. "I don't understand why is it she never opened her eyes to the truth of what was going on around her. The whole P-chan business for example."

Ukyō blinked. "What about that?"

"That's Hibiki Ryōga's cursed form."

Silence.

"_**WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?**_" Akane shrieked out.

Nabiki smirked. "As I said, Akane-chan, you never opened your eyes to what was going on around you. It was pretty damned obvious that Ryōga-kun somehow tricked Ranma-kun into keeping quiet over the fact that the stupid idiot followed him to Jusenkyō and got himself a curse. A quick check of the Instant Jusenkyō Packet Guide proved there was one for Spring of _**Drowned Young Piglet**_!" A smirk. "Rest was simple deduction."

"Nabiki . . . why did you say that . . .?" Sōun then sobbed . . .

. . . and then he jolted as Kasumi GLARED at him, her discontent over Nabiki's actions forgotten. "_**YOU KNEW?**_" she shrieked out at a volume that made everyone else in the room gape in shock at the eldest daughter.

_Then again_, Nabiki mused, _Ranma-kun hadn't been nice to Kasumi-onēchan either!_ She then winced on remembering how Ranma had backhanded Kasumi into silence when she tried to moderate things after he had openly declared that Genma and Nodoka were dead to him, then gave her a tongue-lashing for being the "most pathetic host" he had ever heard of . . . before telling her to go crawl back into her little fantasy world and leave the _**real**_ world to those willing to face it without letting their fears overcome them._ If I really _did_ care for this family of morons, I would have actually been concerned about it!_

"_**WHY?**_"

"Because it was a WEAKNESS . . .!" Sōun blubbered, stunned by Kasumi's anger.

"Oh? What would have happened if Ryōga was transformed into P-chan and other people put it together? Akane-chan would have been accused – AND RIGHTLY SO! – of SLEEPING with her fiancé's ENEMY!" Kasumi then spat out. "That's it! I'm going to live with Tōfū-kun! I've put up to this nonsense long enough! Cook your own meals and clean your own house from now on, Tendō Sōun! You're DEAD to me!"

And with that, she stood and stormed out of the room. As the others in the room all gaped, Nabiki then smiled as she nodded in admiration. _About time, Onē-chan . . .!_

Sōun, who had taken a moment to process what had just happened, then collapsed in on himself. "The schools will never be joined . . . " he burbled out as tears flowed freely down his cheeks. "Ranma-kun's gone . . . Kasumi-chan's gone . . . "

"Well, I'm going to school," Nabiki stated as she stood up.

"Nabiki . . .!" Sōun then pleaded. "Please . . . you must get Ranma-kun back . . . "

"I can't."

"Why not . . .?"

"Because Ranma-kun clearly equates me now as a potential _Yakuza_, Otō-chan," Nabiki stated, which made the others in the room gasp in horror. "When he left, he took all the pictures I had of him as a girl with him, plus the negatives. Can't get any money from them from Kunō-baby to help finance a search. Atop that, Ranma-kun left a note on my computer saying that he had spoken to the local _oyabun_ of the Inagawa-kai's branch here in Nerima about me." As people gaped in disbelief on hearing how much Ranma had seemingly thrown Nabiki to the wolves by his speaking to the _Yakuza_ of all people about her, she added, "I don't know what he said, but yesterday, I saw various _kōbun_ on the streets close to Fūrinkan High School keeping an eye out for me and my friends. I don't like the idea of having THAT type of heat come down on my head! So I'm going to be too busy protecting myself from being forced into a damned brothel in Roppongi to worry about Ranma-kun. It's YOUR problem, Otō-chan! YOU deal with it!" She then smirked. "And please . . . get Akane-chan COOKING LESSONS!" As Akane gasped in shock on hearing her sister demand something like THAT, Nabiki added, "She can't cook worth a damn despite all her words to the contrary and I don't want to spend time in a hospital getting my stomach pumped out!"

And with that, she was heading upstairs. "Well, I'm going back to my shop," Ukyō then stated as she stood. "My father wants me back in Kyōto, so I'll be moving out." She then perked. "Oh, by the way . . . " Her hand then became a blur.

A pained scream echoed through the room as Nodoka collapsed to her side, a deep gash ripped into her cheek thanks to one of the chef's throwing spatulas. "Ran-chan was obviously still too much of a gentleman even if he took your damn toy away, bitch!" Ukyō stated, the contempt in her voice quite obvious to all; she had heard of how Ranma had roughed his mother up, but a slap and a punch in the gut was nothing to any of the teenage martial arts prodigies known commonly as a group as the "Nerima Wrecking Crew." "I'm not so restricted. Thanks to Mousse, I got that spatula coated in herbs that'll make sure it NEVER heals! It's what you deserve for your stupid ass-backwards attitudes in the first place!" As Genma moved to comfort his bleeding wife, Ukyō smirked. "Ought to listen to the local folks, Panda-man. Any hopes of getting any help from the locals in getting Ran-chan back are gone; everyone KNOWS that you and the waterworks factory here have been hiding Happōsai here all along . . . instead of doing what you PROMISED the ward managers you'd do and put a stop to the 'panty thief.'" She thumbed Sōun in emphasis as the latter turned very pale on hearing that the whole of Nerima knew of Happōsai being the infamous Panty Thief of Nerima . . . and that he was currently living in the Tendō home, sheltered by the very ward alderman who had vowed to his peers that he would do anything to stop the Panty Thief for good. "And as far as they're concerned, your over-honoured wife is a fuckin' moron that deserves to be in the nuthouse! You better put her there before she gets her hands on another sword and goes on a fuckin' rampage!" She then gazed sympathetically at Akane. "You can come by anytime you want before I head home, Akane-chan. I think we both can use a good cry right about now."

Akane blinked, and then she slowly nodded . . .

* * *

In the second guest bedroom . . .

"I'm proud of that boy! DAMN proud of that boy!"

The beautiful redhead seated in the middle of the room – with the grandmaster of Musabetsu Kakutō-ryū in her lap, absorbing a little bit of her ki to allow his aged limbs and body to rejuvenate itself in a way that he had not been able to do in years – giggled as she gazed on the magically-enchanted television set, which had shown a perfect view of the living room downstairs and the meeting there. A meeting that hadn't got anywhere towards returning a certain martial arts prodigy to the house and restoring things back to "normal" for all the idiots who wanted a piece of Saotome Ranma for whatever their selfish reasons were. "Well, what did you expect, Master Happōsai," Hayashi Kanami – who had been born at Mirror Mansion as the "Copy Ranma-chan" a few months before – stated. "After Ataru-kun had that talk with him . . . "

"And took him to a certain cave on a certain planet three hundred light-years away from here to get him his Gift," Happōsai then cut in.

A nod. "Hai! And once he did that, he was able to finally see these fools for what they really were! Even his stupid mother!" Kanami smirked as she watched Genma move to put a field bandage on Nodoka's face from the first aid kit that Akane got out after Ukyō had left. She then smirked on hearing muffled crying from the direction of Kasumi's bedroom. "Akane-chan was rather disappointing, wasn't she . . .?"

"She got scared of how powerful Ranma had become," the gnomish multi-centenarian stated. "The boy killed an honest-to-goodness IMMORTAL, by the gods! And it was for HER! Any girl with any lick of sense in her head would have realised what Ranma's feelings were about and move to make sure he stayed in her grasp! What did she do? She damn hell went back to default mode and pushed him away! Stupid idiot . . .!"

"Well, her loss is my gain," Kanami stated. "It's not Ranma-kun's fault that Akane-chan was always fed that 'you're a martial artist' nonsense from her idiot father . . . when it was obvious all along that he never did a damned thing to TEACH her the Art! Once Ranma-kun became her knight in shining armour, Akane pretty much stopped practicing altogether! How is this so-called 'union of the schools' supposed to happen if she doesn't hold up her end of the deal?"

"True, you're right," he noted. "And very soon – perhaps today – I'll finally pop Sōun's and Genma's bubbles of delusions when it comes to their 'schools.' They never were PROPERLY given masteries by me despite their putting me in that cave for so long, so any claims they have about being masters of separated schools in my Art won't wash. It's only been blind luck that Sōun hadn't been called on it by people here in town." A smirk. "Doesn't it strike you as odd that a dōjō is here and NO ONE has ever come to it to seek out lessons from the local dōjō 'master' . . . or is it me?"

"No. I think between Akane's tantrums and her father's laziness, people in Nerima clued in quick that this was NOT the place to learn how to fight," she noted.

"Well, we'll make that official today," he stated.

"Should be fun . . . "

* * *

Tomobiki High School, morning study hall . . .

"Hey, Ryūnosuke-kun!"

Ryūnosuke tried not to groan out too much as she heard that hated honorific applied to her name. While older people – teachers and other staff – could do that to her and it made some sense, that people (especially girls) _**her own age**_ did that . . .! "What?" she asked.

Several girls had come over to her desk, curious looks on their faces. "So what's going to happen to Ranma-kun right now?" one of them asked. "Why was he going downtown? Doesn't he still live with his fiancée in Nerima?"

"Nope," the beach café tomboy answered. "He ditched her finally. She wasn't able to trust him at all – even after he killed a freakin' IMMORTAL of all things in China a few months ago to save her life! – and she turned around and twisted Ranma's jackass mother into making him either marry her or slit his belly open in seppuku." As people in the class all gasped on hearing that, Ryūnosuke shrugged. "Not that a knife could hurt him. He's Mustang. Physically the most powerful FISS-type meta on Yiziba. The bomb ain't been built on any planet I know of that can hurt him, much less kill him."

"So why's he here in Tomobiki?" Perm asked.

"He's visiting Hana Tariko over at the Toranoseishin offices to get a passport prepped up so he can go to America. He's back on the road learnin' what he's always wanted to learn. And this time, he ain't puttin' up to a cheatin' sleeze of a father or an over-honoured moron of a mother to try to make him some freaky 'man above men.'" Ryūnosuke snorted. "Lucky thing that Ataru stumbled onto him seven years ago after he nearly got mangled to pieces thanks to that dork-ass Neko-ken training." As people winced on hearing that – several had friends attending Fūrinkan High School in Nerima and they had heard all the tall tales about Ranma and the other members of the Nerima Wrecking Crew – she flipped the page on her book. "Which is a good thing."

"So why doesn't he just fly to America?" Megane asked.

"Look, just because we're all influenced by a planet that kinda did away with laws a long time ago don't mean that we don't – for the most part – respect those who _**do**_ have laws. Ranma ain't the type to go into another country without gettin' a visa. And since Manacle's mom is willing to sponsor him when he's in America, he'll have a place to stay and he can go to a NORMAL high school. Not that nuthouse in Nerima he was forced to endure for over a year." A shake of the head. "And that's after TEN YEARS on the road doin' nothing but learning how to fight? It's a fuckin' wonder to me that Ranma didn't go postal on a few people before Ataru persuaded him to get a Gift."

"So that's ANOTHER family that's been wrecked by this Yiziba place!"

Hearing that spat-out comment, Ryūnosuke sighed. "Well, depends on what you would consider 'family,' Miyake," she said, not bothering to look towards Shinobu. The tomboy had been quick to sense the bad mood Ataru's former girlfriend had been in when she came to school today. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why. "If you consider livin' in a loveless home when you have a mother sayin' 'I wish I never had you' to your face all the time – and you call that being part of a 'family' – then yeah, a family got wrecked a couple days ago. If you consider livin' in a home where the father is a known thief and con-man and the mother thinks it's still the Tokugawa era where slittin' your belly open for some idiot agreement that you NEVER KNEW you were bound to – and you call being part of that a 'family' – then yeah, another family got wrecked a couple days ago. Believe me, Miyake, if that's what _**you**_ consider 'normal,' then _**you're**_ the one that's got a serious fuckin' problem!"

"That's not . . .!"

_FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!_

"_**IS IT TRUE?**_"

Everyone screamed out on hearing that wild shout from the open windows, and then they turned around to gaze towards the front lawn . . .

. . . where a sheer SUPERMODEL of a seventeen year-old American girl was now floating outside one of the open windows, having just come to a perfect stop EIGHT METRES above the ground by the principal's office. Looking at her, Ryūnosuke smirked before she turned back to her book. "Hey, Shots! What're you doing here?"

The newcomer scowled. "Who're you calling 'Shots,' Claws?"

"Who're you callin' 'Claws,' Blondie?"

«_Ooooooooooooooooooooooh . . . meaningful dialogue!_»

Everyone blinked; they had ALL heard those words in their heads. "Yeah, ya got a point, Searcher!" Ryūnosuke said before she waved the newcomer into the room. "Get in here, girl! Do somethin' about the boots before you step on the floor!"

"Hey! I've been to Japan before," the other woman said as she drifted into the room, her buccaneer boots instantly morphing into a perfect pair of uwabaki. She then came down onto the floor . . . and then she blushed as all the boys whooped and applauded her grace. "Dōmo! Dōmo! I'm here all day, folks! Tip all the waiters!" she said, which made everyone laugh; her Japanese was understandable if accented. "So talk, Ryū-chan!" she bade as she walked over to lean her hand on the tomboy's desk. "Pettegola overheard Manacle's mom talking to her and Dominatrix about the possibility of hosting a certain hunkmeister who was forced to deal with airheaded norms for the last year the next city over!" She thumbed to the east. "Confess! Is it true or isn't it?"

A nod. "It's true. Ranma's with Ataru's new sister over at the Toranoseishin tower downtown getting his passport and visa all set up. If you . . .!"

_FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!_

" . . . hurry . . . " Ryūnosuke finished, and then she shrugged.

Everyone blinked; the blonde, grey-eyed girl in the dark brown jumpsuit with the silver siege engine insignia on her chest, the black leather belt and the black boots had flown out of the classroom so fast, people's hair had been blasted back. "Um . . . Ryūnosuke-san," Mendō then stated as he gazed at his classmate. "Who WAS that?"

"Trebuchet."

People blinked, expecting more. Nothing came. Megane then cleared his throat. "I assume she comes from the same city Manacle-san and Dominatrix-san come from."

"Yep. They all go to the same high school, too. Shots – that's her nickname, 'the Shot-Put Siren of the South' – used to be the Academician's best friend back in elementary school. When she grew up, she got closer to Rampage and some of her friends like Cyclotron and Bandstand. She's got the same type of powers as Rampage, but she specialises in tossing things very far away." Ryūnosuke then smirked. "I even heard that NASA might be thinking of hirin' her on to be a _**living missile launcher**_ to send things up into space now that they're retirin' the Space Shuttles."

"_**That**_ powerful?" Chibi asked, awestruck.

"Yep. Piss her off and she'll turn YOU into a livin' missile!" The tomboy smirked as she glanced at Shinobu, who had a stunned look on her face. "Oh, word to the wise. Shots happens to be one of the girls who were really badly hurt when Ataru was made to be 'normal' thanks to the MIBs to make his idiot parents and Miyake happy." As Shinobu croaked in outrage on hearing Ryūnosuke accuse her of THAT, the latter added, "When she has a temper-tantrum, Shots can rip out BUILDINGS from the ground and toss' em into the sky! You better thank your lucky stars that _**Ataru**_ talked her out of launchin' the Mother of All Fight Scenes on your collective asses after he got his memories back!"

People paled and gasped on hearing that. "Um . . . is she the worst?" Mendō asked.

"Nope. She's kinda nice deep down . . . even if she is a boy-chasin' moron most of the time these days. But there IS one you ALL better be scared of."

Gulps. "Wh-who?" Megane sputtered.

A smirk. "Remember how beautiful Rampage is? Remember how she looked?"

Nods. "What about that?" Kakugari wondered.

"Well, if you see someone who looks like Rampage's twin sister except for her havin' black hair and grey eyes – and she's dressed in solid black from neck to toe, has a skull-and-crossbones on her chest, all sorts of magical runes on her body and wears a hooded black cape . . . "

A smirk.

Ryūnosuke smirked. "Basically . . . _run_!"

People paled. "Wh-wh-who is sh-she?" one of the other boys asked.

"The one person even I'M scared of," the tomboy said. "Doctor Death."

Mendō gargled in shock on hearing that battle-name. People instantly looked his way. "M-m-Mendō-san . . . who is she talking about?" Shinobu pleaded.

The scion of Japan's richest family breathed out. "The greatest _**assassin**_ alive."

Jaws hit the floor as Ryūnosuke turned back to her books . . .

* * *

Somewhere else in the Multiverse . . .

"_**AH-CHOO!**_"

"Bless you, Doctor!"

A moan. "What made me sneeze like that?"

The young couple who were accompanying the Doctor shrugged . . .

* * *

Back in Tomobiki . . .

Meanwhile, the woman born Amy Sutton was soaring her way downtown, making people on the ground look up and gape as she made her way towards the set of three tall office complexes that formed the heart of Tomobiki's business district. As her eyes narrowed on seeing the Toranoseishin Finances' black flag with the curled tiger biting on the katana insignia flying from the top mast, the current incarnation of the Shot-Put Siren of the South, _**Trebuchet**_, could only smirk as she noted the black costume of the Mistress of Pain and Pleasure visible at the windows of a large office on the top floor. A deeper look – like all the higher-end FISS-types from Yiziba, Amy was blessed with enhanced eyesight and other senses that allowed her to see things at a distance – picked out the details of the girl Molly Hecht forced a Gift on in the room, along with a girl in an updated version of Wildflower's uniform . . .

. . . and a virtual ADONIS in blue-and-red standing nearby.

"_**Oh – my – God!**_"

Noting that Wildflower – Amy hadn't got the details about who this girl really was, but she had heard rumours over the private network those like her could tap into – was handing a red Japanese passport to the current incarnation of Mustang, the former best friend of Elizabeth Wakefield from elementary school days could only smile.

The smile of a cat that will soon catch her next canary.

No, Dyan Sutton did NOT raise an idiot for a daughter.

Amy was NOT letting this boy pass her by once he was in the Valley.

Blowing Saotome Ranma a kiss, she then soared off into the sky for America.

"Later, Ranma-kun . . . "

* * *

"_**AH-CHOO!**_"

Tariko gasped on hearing that sneeze. "Bless you, Ranma! You okay?"

A moan. "Someone's talking about me," Ranma then muttered.

"Who could that be?" Regina then asked.

The others in the room exchanged looks, and then people relaxed. "No doubt, it's a certain group of morons back in Nerima who can't get over the fact that you decided you wanted to live your life for yourself and not them," Molly noted. "AND actually getting away with it without giving them any sort of satisfaction in return."

Ranma blinked, and then he nodded. "Yeah." He then sighed. "So what's this about Copy-chan being freed from the mirror at Mirror Mansion? And being GIFTED?"

"It's true," Tariko stated. When she had called down to have Ranma's new passport picked up from the local offices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by Yumoa Reigi's staff, a passport for one Hayashi Kanami had also been turned over. A quick call to Yiziba – which had caught Ataru before he would have taken Lum to the Cave of the Future – confirmed that a girl by that name and looking like Ranma's cursed female body had been brought to the Cave about two months ago and had been Gifted. "Ayumu-chan took care of it when she got the chance to visit Mirror Mansion. Kanami's the Dragoness now, Ranma. Which rather fits nicely given how she got her current body."

The current incarnation of the Untameable One nodded in understanding. The Guardian of the Borderlands of Chaos, the _**Dragoness**_, was one of the most powerful meta-mages on Yiziba. A mistress of both chaos magic and the magic of the Shadow Realm, the Dragoness normally ranked third behind the Warlock (as leader of the Cosmic Mage Guild) and the Lady Shadow (the leader of the Mages of the Shadow Realm). She was allied to neither group, of course. In previous incarnations, the Guardian of the Borderlands normally fought those ambitious aliens who had come seeking the power of the Great Crystal and would do anything – even try to STEAL parts of it! – to gain it. It was the first Dragoness – who had been the younger sister of the first Mustang, thus forging a spiritual bond between the Untameable One and the Guardian of the Borderlands over the incarnations – who had guaranteed that no Yizibajohei would ever be able to mate with a non-Yizibajohei; powerful magical shape-shifters from another galaxy, who had tried to mate with natives of Yiziba to gain access to the Great Crystal, were cursed to die with their unborn children in their wombs, suffering agonies that no Earth mage could ever dream of. Since that time, the Dragoness normally emerged from the Great Crystal whenever someone else got over their fears of "They Who Must Never Be Named" and wanted to gain something for nothing. As Tariko, Ranma, Molly and Regina remembered quite well, the last Dragoness lived at the time of the Mother of All Fight Scenes between Yiziba and Uru; she had been one of Infinity's closer friends back then.

That version had been just as vicious on the idiot sames as Tuyuki had been.

"Could Kanami be able to remove Ranma's curse?" Molly then asked.

A sigh. "I doubt it. Jusenkyō's magic is based on ebony meson. Then again, I'm not as bothered by the curse as I was back when I first began living in Nerima," Ranma noted. "While I know I can ditch the curse once I knock a girl up, I'm like Ataru and Harry when it comes to fatherhood: _**Not now**_!" As the three girls in the room laughed, he sighed. "Well, that's good. Cop- . . . " He caught himself. "Kanami didn't deserve to be treated like she did when she got out of the mirror."

"Pity she didn't get the chance to deliver a few beat-downs on your other would-be 'fiancées,'" Molly noted. "Might have taught the selfish bimbos something."

"Doubt it," Ranma mused. "They would'a blamed it on me as usual. And the idiot fathers and Ofukuro would've harped on me for being 'dishonourable' for letting Akane suffer like that." A smirk. "Which was usual for those fools."

"Default mode," Regina stated.

A knock then echoed at the door. "Come in!" Tariko called out.

The door opened, revealing Yumoa Reigi. "Someone's here to see you, Hana-sama."

"Who?"

"Her _meishi_."

A card was brought over. Tariko scanned it, and then she blinked. "Kazahana Mashiro, Headmistress of the Fūka Academy? What does she want?"

"She said she wishes to discuss a certain matter Master Hosan had once vowed would not happen again," Reigi explained. "But will soon happen. I didn't get more."

A blink. "Send her in."

* * *

Tomobiki High School . . .

"Um . . . Ryūnosuke-san?"

Ryūnosuke perked, and then she smiled. _Finally! Someone gets a clue!_ she mused to herself before gazing at the rather plain woman now standing by her desk. As the tomboy moved to recall this one's name, a brief memory blank hit her . . . and then she gaped as it came to her. "Inu Chigaiko, right?" she said as she snapped her fingers.

The other girl gasped, making all the others in the class gaze their way. "How could you remember my name?" she then demanded. "Only Ataru-kun could . . .!"

«_Some sort of magical block, Chigaiko-san_,» a voice echoed in everyone's heads.

"HEY!" Shinobu yelled out. "Stop spying in our . . .!"

_KLONK!_

"Quiet, Miyake! _**Civilised**_ people are havin' a discussion here!" Ryūnosuke snarled after sending a handy cement block – _How the fuck do these things get into this place, anyway?_ the tomboy then mused to herself before she perked. _Ah! Right! All the times this place got rebuilt after someone tried to wreck it!_ – into the other woman's head with a well-aimed toss, and then she sighed. "Sorry about that, Chigaiko-san."

"Oh, don't apologise. I've always known that useless idiot only wanted to keep Ataru-kun around just so she could beat him up any time she felt like it," Chigaiko said as she gave Ataru's former girlfriend a scornful look.

A moan. "That's . . . not true . . .!"

"Miyake, _**shut it**_ or _**lose it**_!" Ryūnosuke snarled.

The other woman jolted on hearing the dire threat in the tomboy's voice, and then she passed out, her eyes awash in tears. "Sorry about that," Ryūnosuke then said.

"Again, no problem," Chigaiko stated.

"So what's up?"

"I was wondering something."

"Bein'?"

A smirk. "How does a girl in this town get a _**Gift**_ from Ataru-kun?"

Ryūnosuke blinked as all the other students in the class gaped. The tomboy took a moment to interpret that, and then she smirked. "Well, technically, Ataru's not the one giving the Gift to you. It's actually a moon-sized ball of meson that forms the core of Yiziba; we call it the 'Great Crystal of Power.' When you touch it . . . " – she made a pressing motion with her hands – " . . . you're pulled into the Crystal and then get the chance to learn about Gifts that might match your personality. When I did it on my seventh birthday, I had a choice of about a dozen Gifts."

The others in the class blinked. "What made you chose Carcajou?" Megane asked.

She smirked as she splayed her fingers to allow her ki-claws to emerge. "Are you fuckin' KIDDING me, man? Who _**wouldn't**_ want these things?"

The others gaped, and then they laughed. "So why did Moroboshi become Coyote?" Mendō asked. "I agree that – given the trickster nature of the coyote as Manacle-san explained earlier today – such would fit Moroboshi quite well, but . . . "

"Ataru never had a choice."

"What do you mean?" Perm asked.

A sigh as she sheathed her claws. "When Ataru was found by Mistress Ayone – she was the Nameless that found him in the town park cryin' his eyes out 'cause of what his asshole mother said to him – she was in mourning over the death of the previous Tuyuki; that's the line's true name." Ryūnosuke then sadly smiled. "Like another one called the Weaponeer, Tuyuki's Gift was preserved in a meson crystal the size of my fist; it wasn't returned back to the Great Crystal as it's normally been done on Yiziba since the Dawn of Power." A shrug. "After she got Ataru somethin' to eat and checked him over to make sure he wasn't sick or anythin' like that, Ayone told him about what she wanted him to do. Of course, he didn't really understand it at the time, but since she was a 'pretty lady' who was sad at losin' her 'husband' like that, he agreed."

"So Ataru-kun NEVER got a choice of Gifts like you did," Marubeya Momoe stated.

"That's right. That's why Ataru's always been a stickler when it comes to people getting the chance to CHOOSE whether to get a Gift or not. He never got a choice before it was too late." A smirk. "Matter of fact, he got pretty pissed off at the Dominatrix yesterday when he found out that she literally THREW the girl that became Manacle into the Great Crystal after she nearly OD'd on crack cocaine three months ago." As people winced, Ryūnosuke added, "But Manacle forgave her and they became lovers. Which is nice; the jackass I heard Manacle was dating before this happened dumped her for Shots of all people!" She thumbed the windows in emphasis.

"So he _wouldn't_ force a choice on Lum-chan, right?" Chibi asked.

"Nope. But she did choose to get a Gift. Most likely, she'll be Tempest."

"Will her parents approve?" Mendō asked.

A sigh. "Well, deep down, they don't. But I heard that Lum's great-grandfather – you probably remember the pretty boy talkin' about him yesterday – told her that if that's what she wanted, she should go for it. Turns out that shortly after Ataru got Gifted, he sensed Lum CRYING all the way from Yiziba – that's over TWO HUNDRED LIGHT-YEARS away! – after some jackass put a POWER DAMPENER on her!" As people gasped, Ryūnosuke shook her head. "Ain't supposed to DO that to an Oni kid! If Ataru and Infinity hadn't shown up right afterward, Lum would have been CRIPPLED for LIFE!"

People's jaws dropped. "An honour-debt, you mean," Mendō stated.

"Yep." Ryūnosuke then smirked. "'Sides, Yizibajohei can't mate with non-Yizibajohei. If Lum hopes to have a kid with Ataru, she's gotta get Gifted."

Silence.

More silence.

Still more silence.

And then . . .

"_**WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT? LUM-SAN ACTUALLY DOING **_**THAT**_** WITH ATARU? NEVER!**_"

That was Megane as an explosion of angry ki billowed from every guy in the room. As all the girls rolled their eyes in disgust, Ryūnosuke smirked. "I guess you're all provin' Infinity correct," she then stated. "You DON'T love Lum!"

Total silence fell over the class as all the boys gaped in shock at THAT declaration. "Wh-wh-what do y-y-you mean . . .?" a white-faced Megane sputtered.

"Well, think about it," she noted. "If you ARE supposed to be her friends, why aren't you respecting the fact that Lum wants to live with Ataru?"

"_**BECAUSE HE'S NEVER RESPECTED HER SINCE THE DAY SHE CAME HERE!**_" Megane shrilled.

"Oh, really? What IS respect?"

The boys all blinked in confusion. "Oh, I understand!" Tsuruya Rumiko, the smartest student bar none in Metropolitan Tōkyō and an admitted lesbian, then stated.

"What?" Gekasawa Kumiko asked.

"Do you remember what Ryūnosuke-kun said yesterday about Oni mating rituals?"

"You have to tag the horns to marry them," Kakugari stated. "Since Ataru did that at the Tag Race, he's been 'married' to Lum-chan by their standards all along."

"Not exactly," Ryūnosuke stated. "A Tag Race is the ONLY time when tagging an Oni's horns does NOT lead to marriage. Now, things got flubbed up when Ataru – remembering he was brainwashed into forgettin' he was Yizibajohei at the time – said he was making the tag for marriage and Lum believed he wanted to marry her. But since she did make that mistake honestly, he – once he COULD think it all through – decided to let her believe what she wanted within reason. Atop that, since all of us were threatened by that anti-matter bomb the Niphentaxians buried in the Ginza, Ataru couldn't deviate too much from the way he acted before you all met that Elle chick and not arouse suspicion. But he DID intend to tell Lum the truth once he felt it was safe to do that. He did it two days ago. She thought it over – after getting the chance to hear what REALLY happened to an ancestor of hers named Redet Danu who was the Oni champion in the Tag Race run for Yiziba's 'freedom' from invasion . . . " – she made finger-quotes on saying that – " . . . and decided that her love for Ataru mattered more."

"So she DID agree to get a Gift, right?" Momoe stated.

"Yep. And once she did that, he tagged her horns properly for marriage."

All the boys croaked as Chigaiko perked. "What about Rampage-san?" she asked.

A smirk and wink. "Pagey's bisexual. She'll want BOTH Ataru AND Lum!"

Mass face-fault by all the boys! "Lucky girl!" Rumiko moaned as the girls gaped.

Ryūnosuke sighed. "So, you wanna do it?" she then asked Chigaiko.

A flash of light. "Hey, Chigaiko-chan!"

Chigaiko gasped before spinning around to see Kasuga Ayumu standing nearby, her arm raised in greeting as she smiled at the other girl. "You scared me!" the girls' basketball team forward then declared before she blinked. "Ataru-kun sent you?"

"Yeah! You're the only girl from Tomobiki in the Book of Pretty Girls now that's in the 'Pretty Girls To Be Helped' list! Ataru needs to change that! Let's go!"

"_**NO!**_"

That was a wide-eyed Shinobu as she moved to heft her desk over her head and throw it at the newcomer. As Ryūnosuke splayed her claws to intercept the furniture, Ayumu sighed. "Ah, fuhgedaboutit!" she muttered as she made a motion with her hand . . .

. . . thus making the desk levitate away from Shinobu's hands . . . and then drop down!

_CRUNCH!_

As Ataru's former girlfriend then dropped to the floor with a nice-sized lump on her head, Ryūnosuke then smirked as she relaxed. "Have fun!" she then bade.

"See you later, Ryū-chan!" Ayumu said . . .

. . . as she took Chigaiko and both vanished from Class 2-4.

"_**WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?**_"

Ryūnosuke looked over. "Chigaiko-san's gone to get a Gift, Sensei."

At the doorway to the class, Onsen Mark blinked. "Who?"

The tomboy breathed out. "Someone ain't doin' their fuckin' jobs!" she muttered . . .

* * *

In the nurse's station . . .

"_**AH-CHOO!**_"

"Bless you, Sakura! Are you alright?"

Sakurambō Sakura moaned. "Someone's talking about me!"

At her desk, Chikamatsu Fusae blinked, and then she shrugged . . .

_**To be continued . . .**_

* * *

**WRITER'S NOTES:**

1) Translations: **Rōnin** – Master-less warrior (also the term used for failed college exam takers as fans of _Love Hina_ know); **Oyabun** – Foster father (the leader of a Yakuza family); **Meishi** – Business card; **Line** – Yizibajohei term used for the collected incarnations of people who possessed the same Gift under the same "line-name" (i.e. Infinity, Weaver, etc).

2) The "**meaningful dialogue**" comment from Mizuhara Yomi (Soul Searcher) in this part is based on a scene in _normalman_ #1 (January 1984), when **Captain Everything** (I based Infinity on him) replicated himself multiple times to allow him to go rescue **Normalman** from the threat of the **Ultra-Conservative** while still fulfilling his monitoring duties for the **Justice League of Society** (the parody version of the Justice League of America) . . . and the replicas all began a fight scene with each other since NONE of them wanted to be stuck doing monitor duty on a satellite over Levram!

3) **Pettegola** (Italian for "gossip") is the battle-name of a minor character from the _Sweet Valley High_ series, **Caroline Pearce**. The resident school gossip, Caroline got a chance to shine on her own in story #17, _Love Letters_ . . . when she created an **imaginary boyfriend** to show up those girls who DID have real boyfriends! Caroline's proper battle-name on Yiziba is "Chatterbox;" her nickname is the "Unstoppable Gossip." She is a telepath of considerable power (almost Soul Searcher's equal), but she is driven by the need to not only learn new things, but spread the information to everyone she knows _**regardless**_ of consequences!

4) **Cyclotron** is the battle-name of Jessica Wakefield's best friend/rival, **Lila Fowler**. The only daughter of the richest family in the Valley outside the Patmans, Lila has been a first-tier supporting character in all the _Sweet Valley_ series since the first novel, _Double Love_. She is the Living Nuclear Reaction; her body can produce massive amounts of energy her cells create from any form of radiation that – if unleashed all at once – would rival the destructive power of the Niphentaxians' annihilation device that was buried in the Tomobiki Ginza. She can also fly and survive in any potential environment save deep space or underwater.

5) **Bandstand** is the battle-name of Jessica's other best friend, **Cara Walker**. The daughter of a couple that broke up just before the start of the first _Sweet Valley High_ series, Cara nursed a massive crush on Jessica's elder brother Steven for a long time. Only with Tricia's death in book #15, _Promises_, did the way become clear for Cara to pursue Steven in earnest; she finally lands him in book #24, _Memories_. As Bandstand, Cara is somewhat similar to Jubilee of the X-Men; she can manipulate light energy her body absorbs into all sorts of dazzling effects. While not as powerful as Lila, Cara could do a lot of harm is she put her mind into it. Bandstand's nickname is "the Living Celebration."

6) Fans of _Doctor Who_ should recognise the phrase Ryūnosuke used to advise her classmates on what to do if they ever encounter Margo Black (Doctor Death). For those who don't recognise it, watch the fifth series opener "The Eleventh Hour" when the just-regenerated Doctor confronts an agent of the Atraxi near the end of the show.

7) **Inu Chigaiko** is one of the minor characters from _The Senior Year_; she first appeared in the story "Darling's Secret Date." The curse that makes people at school forget her name was a plot device I first used in _Lonely Souls_. Said curse was first unleashed by a victim of the **Red Cloak** (who appeared in the _Yatsura_ manga story of the same name [manga episode #41]) who was a budding witch; the curse made everyone at school forget the name of the Red Cloak's girlfriend and ultimately killed her from loneliness. In Chigaiko's case, the curse – which was powered by the large mana node under the Tarōzakura Hill on the Mendō estate that had such an impact in the fourth movie _Lum the Forever_ and the _TSY_ story "Spirit-War Tomobiki" – was targeting Ataru, but didn't affect Lum or Shinobu for a host of reasons, thus it sought out a target of opportunity.

8) **Tsuruya Rumiko** is my name for the unnamed girl with glasses that appeared in early manga episodes who looks distantly like Takahashi-sensei herself.

9) The "**fuhgedaboutit**" joke is from the English translation of the _AzuDai_ manga by ADV Manga. In the original Japanese, the phrase used is _**nandeyanen**_, which is Ōsaka dialect for the question "Why?" . . . but in **manzai** (Ōsaka-based stand-up two person comedy skits), this term is said with a belittling, whiny comic tone of voice that it becomes a punch-line. Ayumu often used this phrase in the manga, so I used it here.

* * *

**The Book of Pretty Girls_, Entry 536:_**

**_TREBUCHET  
_The Shot-Put Siren of the South**

**Generation:** 28th  
**Age at Gifting:** 11 years, 2 months

**Real Name:** Amy Elaine SUTTON  
**Relatives:** James Trent SUTTON (_father_), Dyan Caroline SUTTON (_née_ CALENDER) (_mother_)  
**Affiliation:** Self, self's family, Coyote (_see Entry 0_), the Boosters of Sweet Valley  
**Base of Operations:** Town and Municipality of Sweet Valley, Santa Barbara County, State of California, United States of America  
**Alignment:** Neutral/Face  
**Identity:** On Yiziba, publicly known; on Earth, Amy is somewhat well-known in Sweet Valley and in her old home town in Connecticut, though her being Yizibajohei is unknown to almost everyone  
**Race/Culture of Birth:** Terran/American  
**Place of Birth:** Town and Municipality of Sweet Valley, Santa Barbara County, State of California, United States of America  
**Gender:** Female  
**Height:** 170 cm (5' 7")  
**Weight:** 49.8 kg (110 lb)  
**Eyes:** Grey  
**Hair:** Blonde-brown

**Gifts:  
_Metahuman Strength, Toughness and Physical Invulnerability:_** Trebuchet is one of the top FISS-type metas of Yiziba. In Earth gravity, she can dead-lift ten thousand tonnes with one arm without any risk to the integrity of her body. Because of such power, she can resist anything up to the direct on-skin impact of either thermonuclear or anti-matter weapons up to the explosive power of 4.2 exajoules of energy (equivalent to one gigatonne of TNT exploding all at once). She has the ability to survive in all forms of atmosphere (including airless space) for hours without the need to replenish her body with oxygen. As an extension of same, she cannot be poisoned by any normal means and can ingest most forms of solids or liquids save for anything based on Grade Three mesonium ("ebony meson"). Unlike some other FISS-type metas on Yiziba, Trebuchet has no defence against magical or psionic attacks beyond sheer willpower alone.  
**_Flight:_** Trebuchet has the ability to fly at hypersonic speeds in atmosphere, just above sonic speeds while in a liquid medium like water and a quarter of the speed of light in space. She has no ability to warp herself between solar systems without aide.  
**_Shot-Put Toss/Spin:_** An extension of Trebuchet's physical strength allows her to hurl anything with one arm up to about a thousand tonnes of mass at speeds switft enough to achieve escape velocity from Earth-type gravity from a standing position. Trebuchet can increase the speed of her toss by either spinning around in place to create enough centrifugal force to send the object hurtling away more swiftly or soar in the direction she wishes to pitch something at hypersonic speeds.  
**_Enhanced Physical Senses:_** Trebuchet's physical senses are quite acute as an extension of her physical abilities. She can see with accuracy out to about ten kilometres from her person in atmosphere. She can hear even minute sounds from dozens of metres away. She can smell even faint traces of odour up to several hours since the scent was first created. Her taste buds are quite sensitive to even minute changes of flavour. And her skin is quite sensitive to the touch of even minute animals such as fleas. Thanks to the memories of her past-selves, Trebuchet can discipline herself to negate the input of such sensations upon her mind via a form of self-meditation.

**Personality:**

Trebuchet is one of the few line-names that actually hark to the time on Yiziba before the Dawn of Power, when the planet was divided into rival nation-states that often fought devastating wars with each other for dominance of the region. Hailing from the southern temperate continent, the original Trebuchet (a man) was an athlete who trained himself to use his FISS-powers to hurl battle machines into the sky and defend those who couldn't defend themselves or didn't have his type of invulnerability to resist weapons fire. Ever since that time, this particular line has always held the name "Shot-Put Sentinel/Siren of the South" in mark to something that has long since been forgotten by almost everyone on Yiziba, even successive Trebuchets!

The current incarnation was born Amy Sutton in Sweet Valley. Then best-friends to Elizabeth Wakefield (later the **Academician**, _see Entry 531_), Amy was not the most pretty of girls at the time she and her friends met up with the current Coyote. However, being called a "pretty girl" by the wandering Japanese-born Trickster of the Show – at the time, Amy was brown-haired, quite tomboyish and needed braces on her teeth – struck her the right away, thus making her go to Yiziba to get her own Gift alongside many of her then-classmates, including Elizabeth and her twin sister Jessica (later **Rampage**_, see Entry 532_). Shortly after entering junior high school, Amy's mother Dyan – a television sports broadcaster – got a job in Connecticut near New York City. With that, Amy was separated from Elizabeth and her peers for almost five years.

Amy would return to her native Sweet Valley shortly after she turned sixteen. But by then, a whole mix of factors – including her maturing from a lanky tomboy into a teenage supermodel in looks – had caused a considerable metamorphosis in her personality. Gone was the loyal best friend that Elizabeth had supported for so long. In her place existed a sometimes bossy, sometimes snobbish and sometimes selfish boy chaser that seemed more Jessica's type of friend than Elizabeth's. And while it did hurt to lose Amy as a close friend, Elizabeth already had a best female friend in Enid Rollins (_listed in the Pretty Girls To Be Helped annex of the _Book), a wonderful boyfriend in Todd Wilkins (the **Sentinel**_, see Annex Entry 531-A_) and a magical girlfriend in Ginny Weasley (**Soulfire**_, see Annex Entry 531-B_).

Since that time, Amy has gone through several boyfriends, falling in love and later falling out of love with them with the same rapid regularity Jessica often shows. One of those relationships – with local rich boy Bruce Patman – nearly blew up in Amy's face when Bruce's former girlfriend Regina Morrow, depressed at his rejection of her, nearly died from a cocaine overdose . . . only to be saved by Molly Hecht (the **Dominatrix**_, see Entry 854_) and forced into accepting a Gift to become **Manacle** (_see Annex Entry 854-A_). Of course, right afterward, Molly dragged Amy to Yiziba to teach the selfish flirt a lesson she wouldn't soon forget, one that left the Shot-Put Siren of the South quite bruised for a few days afterward. And just like with other such boyfriends like Peter DeHaven, Amy would soon drop Bruce and go look anew.

Like Jessica and several other Sweet Valley girls, Amy does harbour a crush on Moroboshi Ataru for the impact the current Coyote had on her life. Amy does, however, realise that she may not get the chance to have Ataru all to herself – especially with Ataru's own deep love for Redet Lum (_see Entry 2_) – so she is keeping her options open as to what sort of Gifted life-mate she would have in the future.

Like many of the Boosters of Sweet Valley, Amy's becoming Trebuchet is unknown to all save her peers and several of their parents. Amy's own parents aren't in that group.


	9. The Herald of the Final Darkness

A dark cave somewhere . . .

"Um . . . Chigaiko-chan?"

"H-hai?"

"Much that I don't mind the idea of getting a mouth full of a pretty girl's panties, I would prefer to breathe clean air sometime soon."

Hearing that, a red-faced Chigaiko yelped as she leapt off Ataru and got back to her feet. Before she could trip over a large stone that was behind one of her ankles, Ayumu caught her and helped her straighten herself. Nearby, a shuddering Lum – who was doing her best to not allow her jealousy to get the better of her and make her lash out at her husband for being so close to another woman; after all, said husband was a reality-warper and one NEVER got one of THEM angry! – blinked as she gazed on this strange girl who seemed awfully familiar to her . . . but for the life of her, she couldn't remember her name, much less recall where she had met her before.

"Darling, who is this girl?" she then demanded.

Ataru sighed as he got back to his feet, and then moved to brush himself off. "She's a classmate – pardon me, _former_ classmate – of ours, Lum: Inu Chigaiko. She's a forward on the girls' basketball team; she was Number Four."

Lum blinked. "Who?"

Benten, who was standing beside her best friend, looked over. "Inu Chigaiko, Lum. C'mon! Ataru just said her name right now! Didn't you hear him?"

A shake of the head. "No!"

"Hold on a sec' . . .!"

That was Ayumu, who was now shifting herself in front of Lum, her dark eyes glowing for a moment. A second later, she reached over to stab her fingers THROUGH Lum's forehead for a second, yanking out ethereal strings that were tied in knots. As the Oni blinked before she shook her head, the Goddess Who Walks Amongst Men then dispersed the strings with a wave of her hand. "You were still caught by the curse that Chigaiko-chan was being targeted by, Lum-chan," the Kansai-born girl said. "Guess being dismissed from Tomobiki High School before being allowed to graduate didn't disperse it enough."

Lum blinked several times before she peered at Chigaiko . . . and then her jaw dropped. "Wait! I've heard Darling say 'hello' to you loads of times every day we go into school! He's called you by your name every time! Why didn't I . . .?"

"Remember the Red Cloak, Lum?" Ataru asked.

Lum blinked. "That old guy in the tuxedo who came to the Hallowe'en dance last fall?"

"The same," he replied. "Turns out that when he was a student at the school, he scared a budding young magical who decided to get back at him by putting an ugly curse on his then-girlfriend. Said curse made EVERYONE who was affiliated with Tomobiki High – both staff and students – forget her very NAME!" As Lum and Benten both gaped in horror on hearing that, he added, "Because of that, the girl eventually died of loneliness inducing heart failure before she could graduate. And since no one could recall her name, she couldn't be transferred to another school; the curse made sure that none of the teachers could ever find her records." A sigh. "Unfortunately, the witch that made that curse bound its power to the mana node under the Tarōzakura hill on Mendō's family estate. Because of that – and this was triggered EVERY time the Red Cloak came back to Tomobiki High – some poor guy who was despised or hated by the vast majority of the students would be targeted by the curse . . . and whatever girl was in love with the target would eventually die because of it."

"Because of the rose, right?"

He gazed on Chigaiko, who had a stunned look on her face. "Yes." Noting Lum's confused look, he added, "Shortly before Ayone found me, I found Chigaiko in the town park crying her eyes out because some older girls from Butsumetsu High were picking on her. Her older sister Fuchiko had been badly beat up when she tried to defend her. I gave Chigaiko a rose to help make her happy. Shortly after that, I came to live here and . . . " A sigh. "Regretfully forgot all about her. By the time I could recall what had happened, it was just after our encounter with Elle. On remembering that people just didn't seem to want to remember her name, I had Liz scan her. We found out about the curse . . . but because it was tied to that mana node, exorcising it might have ended up causing a rather big _kaboom_! Especially with what the Niphentaxians had also done. So I put her into the 'Pretty Girls To Be Helped' Annex list in the Book and vowed to get her here as soon as it was practicable to give her an offer."

"Well, she wants it," Ayumu stated. "She actually walked up to Ryū-chan and asked what she had to do to get a Gift from you." She giggled. "Shinobu didn't like that."

"Who cares about _**her**_?" he then snarled.

"What the fuck is Miyake's big problem anyway?" Benten then wondered.

"She's a control freak deep down, Benten," Ataru answered as he waved the others with him towards the faint glow of light deeper in the cave. "Miyake-san is of the belief that everything has to be set up in a certain way and that nothing that could shake that up is to be tolerated. I found this out after we first met Inaba and got a chance to visit the Fate Production Bureau's dimension; some of his co-workers sensed what I was and came to talk to me afterward about what had happened."

"What did they tell you, Darling?" Lum asked.

"Would you believe she actually would like it if everything just stayed the SAME?"

Benten jerked as Lum winced and Ayumu shook her head. "_Tcha_!" the Oni then spat out. "That's the WORST thing to say to someone like you, Darling! It's a wonder to me that you didn't decide to ask Jessica or one of her friends to hurt her bad!"

He chuckled. "That would just simply translate into her – and those who would listen to her – believing that I'm a _**monster**_ that needs to be put down quickly! I don't want to give the idiots back in Tomobiki – especially Mendō – any impetus to try to do THAT to me, Lum! Yes, there are potential ways to remove my Gift from me . . . but I would rather DIE than lose my Gift and be turned back into a helpless norm!"

"None of us would want that," Benten added.

Lum blinked, and then she nodded. "That was the mistake the other me made."

"Eh?"

"The version of me from Tariko's dimension," the Oni stated. "She probably didn't really understand that every time she tried to make her Darling do what she wanted him to do, she was slowly but surely ripping away what little sense of freedom and control he had over his life. It's no wonder that he jumped at the chance when Destructo came to help him stop that Tag Race the other me tried to force on him."

"Well, at least they're both alive and well," Ataru mused. "And if they find some way to get back together, good for them. If they don't, at least they're living lives that will be theirs to control in lieu of having others control it for them."

Lum smiled. "That's true."

"Welcome, all of you."

Ayumu grinned. "Yo!" she called out as she raised her hand in greeting.

An amused chuckle from the silver-haired, matronly-like woman standing near a bend in the cave, a powerful glow emanating from somewhere past said bend. "Hello, everyone," the current incarnation of the Guardian of Destiny, the _**Conservator**_, stated as her eyes twinkled in amusement. "So, Master Tuyuki . . . the second girl in your Book has come to claim her future, has she? Not to mention one of those you've wanted to help for some time . . . but had not the chance to bring her here to explain things before now?"

"They come here of their own free will and desire, Madame Conservator. As it should always be here on Yiziba," Ataru declared as he took her hand and gave her a courtly kiss on her fingers, which made her smile even more. "One is from a land of sames whose inhabitants, for the most part, believe themselves the masters of all they survey, even after our predecessors showed them otherwise in the Mother of All Fight Scenes 250 seasons ago." He waved to Lum in emphasis. "However, she is of the blood and the heart of the eighteenth Tempest, so I believe the Crystal will find her worthy and bestow her that Gift if she so elects to take it." To Chigaiko. "This one is an innocent, victimised by a curse by a magical long since removed from this life. Forgotten and abandoned by all her friends and those responsible for her welfare in the wake of her being so cursed, her health now at horrid risk with no way out for her save either death or the Crystal. She is the ONLY one from my former home town I believe is worthy to make this trip. But if Fate decrees otherwise, that is for Fate to decide."

The Conservator – she was a native Yizibajohei named Tyutu Etorapa at birth; unlike Terrans-turned-Yizibajohei, natives of this world never used her birth-name when speaking to her directly – nodded as her eyes fell upon Lum and Chigaiko. As both younger women tensed on feeling that all-seeing gaze rake over them, the elderly guardian of the Cave of the Future then smiled. "Redet Lum, daughter of Invader and Chim. Inu Chigaiko, daughter of Akira and Kindan. Are you both prepared?"

"We're scared," Chigaiko then confessed.

A hearty chuckle. "That is natural," the Conservator stated. "And know that once you become one with the Great Crystal, the Forge of the Seekers where the Power Jewels were first created many sagas ago, your lives will forever be bound to this world even if you elect to remain on Terra or Uru or elsewhere. But once you are bound to the Great Show of Life, all the binds that have trapped you before now will be shattered forever. Never again will curses inflicted on you from beyond a cold grave strive to strike you down." She gazed on Chigaiko, and then at Lum. "Never again will you be worshipped as the 'marble woman' without a heart and soul by those who do not truly love you. Never again will you be bound by either normalcy or sameness. Is that what you want?"

Both girls blinked, and then they nodded. "I do," they stated as one.

The Conservator smiled as she waved them on . . .

* * *

Tomobiki High School, lunchtime . . .

_RR-RRIIIIP!_

Silence.

More silence.

Still more silence.

And then . . .

"**_NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO . . .!_**"

People jolted, and then they turned to look . . .

. . . before gaping on seeing that a beautiful UFO catcher doll in Lum's image that was in Megane's hands had its head just ripped off. As the leader of the Stormtroopers gaped in horror at the sight of this beautiful image he had a local toymaker create for him – much that he had tried to get his hands on it, the original UFO catcher doll that Lum had once made for Ataru was still in the latter's possession – Ryūnosuke looked up from her lunch. "Looks like Lum's getting her Gift right now."

People blinked before they stared at her, and then they looked back at Megane. As he tried not to collapse to his knees and sob at the thought of his beloved Lum-san being forever changed by this mysterious planet that had also changed the lives of Moroboshi Ataru and Fujinami Ryūnosuke, some of the girls turned to gaze once more at the beach teashop café tomboy. "What happens when you get a Gift?" one girl asked.

Ryūnosuke smiled. "Well, it's like this . . . "

* * *

_Somewhere . . ._

_It was total silence._

_Not even the sound of her very own heartbeat echoed in this place._

_She felt as if she was floating somewhere in a warm sea . . ._

_. . . but she could still breathe air, so she wasn't drowning._

_Having closed her eyes when she had touched the wall of meson crystal that the Conservator had been watching over when she had gone into the Cave of the Future, Lum didn't honestly know what to expect when she felt herself drawn into the Great Crystal. It wasn't anything harsh or threatening to her, not like someone being sucked into a trap of quicksand or pulled towards a black hole. It had been soothing . . ._

_. . . like being pulled back into her own mother's womb._

_Was it?_

_She honestly wished she could remember that far back in her life . . ._

**Lum . . .**

_Lum's eyes snapped open . . ._

_. . . and then she gaped on seeing the glowing figure before her._

_"Lady Danu . . . "_

_An amused titter escaped the living spirit of the eighteenth Mistress of Lightning – indeed, save for a different hairstyle and slightly different facial features, she who had been born Redet Danu in a cold castle north of modern-day Onishuto could have been Redet Lum's own twin sister – as she drifted closer to the still-living Oni . . ._

* * *

Tomobiki High School . . .

"So the spirits of the Gifts that might be compatible to Lum's soul would seek her out and allow themselves to merge with her?" one girl asked.

"Yeah," Ryūnosuke answered. "Since most lines cross genders between the incarnations, it'll be the female aspect of the Gifts in question that go up to Lum and Chigaiko to allow them to 'try them on.'" She smirked. "Still, the memories of those of my past-selves that were guys sure came in hand, especially when it came to dealing with Oyaji and his stupid ideas concernin' raising kids. Not to mention those of my past-selves who were girls at the time. Wouldn't have learned a damned thing about menstruation and all the things girls go through when they hit puberty; Oyaji wasn't going to help me one damned bit because of that." As the girls all frowned – even if they did often fall into the habit of using the "-kun" honorific when it came to their classmate, they all knew that Ryūnosuke WAS a woman and would have to deal with women's issues even if her bull-headed father clearly wanted things to be otherwise – she then sipped the juice she had made for herself. "Since Redet Danu – she's one of Lum's ancestors – was a previous Tempest, Lum herself will probably become one. Tempest has to be a girl this time around and she hasn't come back to my knowledge, so the chances are pretty good."

"But her parents don't approve of it!" a familiar voice then stated.

Ryûnosuke bit down the urge to walk over to Shinobu and rip the stupid idiot's throat open with her ki claws. "So where the fuck were Lum's parents when her so-called 'most faithful' dropped a bio-bomb on Vos' capital city and killed five million innocent civilians, Miyake?" she wondered. "Where the fuck were Lum's parents when she found out that those lifeless sames were raiding into the personal diaries of her best friends – and after she came here, you and some of the people in class! – and she wanted it stopped? Where the fuck were Lum's parents when she wanted just to be treated like a normal girl and not be put on some fuckin' pedestal and worshipped from afar? Treated all the time like some 'marble lady' like a lot of Urusian trash info-nets often call her? You wanna know why she's NEVER been interested in Mendō or Megane all this time?" She thumbed the two men in question. "It's because these two idiots treated her like that moron Ōgi and all his friends on Phentax Two did! Like she was some THING instead of a person! That's why Infinity said yesterday that none of the idiots here at school really care for Lum!" As all the boys croaked out in shock on being told THAT, she snorted. "She's just a damned _**idol star**_ to them!"

"Ataru-kun never treated her that way," Marubeya Momoe then stated.

"Yeah," Ryūnosuke breathed out. "And yeah, Ataru wasn't in his right mind for the first six months Lum was here, but he realised deep down what she ultimately wanted. When he WAS able to think straight after what those idiots in the MIBs and the wizards from the ICW did to him, his first urge was to get Lum off Uru and to safety on Yiziba. But then he found out about the Niphentaxians and that bomb that was in the Ginza, so he knew he had to walk very cautiously for a bit. Didn't help matters that Lum's people decided to crawl back behind their borders and hide from the mysterious bogeymen that took Ataru away and put all of these morons in the hospital for a month; that might have started a damned intergalactic war if the Niphentaxians weren't there with their big fleet to put a stop to it." A snort. "Fuckin' stupid sames! Like bullies anywhere; hit them with REAL force and they run away like the cowards they really are in their hearts!"

"But if Ataru-kun just got his friend to destroy the Niphentaxians' fleet, wouldn't that START the war he didn't want to start six months ago?" Gekasawa Kumiko asked.

A smirk. "The Avalonians are now out there."

"Who are they?" Mendō asked.

"Race of bioroids that the Niphentaxians discovered about a century ago," Ryūnosuke stated. "The factory unit that could create them was buried on one of the planets in their home solar system. Only can create girls from six to twenty-five years of age physically. All very beautiful." A whistle. "Instant race of sex-slaves." As people gasped, the tomboy smirked. "Pity that one of the guys who found the factory realised right away what the Avalonians could become and began fighting to help free them all after they started fillin' brothels and all that. Once Ataru got wind of it a month after he got away from that Elle chick, he decided to do something about it." A smirk. "Mother of All Fight Scenes. Wiped out a whole colony of Niphentaxians and freed every Avalonian that was alive, not to mention liberated the factory itself. By then, the poor girls were being used as slave artisans on all the combat ships of the Niphentaxian space fleet. By the time the Weaver sent that bomb back two days ago, those ships were all rustin' away at their anchorage since the Avalonians' 'masters' had long since _**forgot**_ how to maintain their own fuckin' ships."

"Do the Avalonians have their own spaceships?" Tsuruya Rumiko wondered.

"Yep. They found a starship factory left behind by the race that created the factory that allowed them to exist in this dead system near Spotak," Ryūnosuke said. "They've been building ships faster than what the Americans were doing in World War Two to help them take over thirty-five solar systems close to Earth, thirty to the west of here and five to the east. With that, Earth and Triton – that's where Oyuki's people now live – will be pretty safe from any threats by the Ipraedies and the Seifukusu; they're the Oni's traditional enemies." As people nodded, the tomboy then sighed. "I'll bet that some of those girls might try to go to Yiziba and meet up with some of the local boys; since Avalonians have got meson in their blood, they can mate with native Yizibajohei. With that straightening up the gender balance on Yiziba, Ataru can finally relax for a bit and have all sorts of wonderful pillow scenes with Lum and Chigaiko. A few others, too."

All the boys awked while most of the girls laughed; anything that could punch through the boys' slavish desires for their former classmate from Uru was mana from Heaven to girls like Momoe and Kumiko. A glance to Shinobu revealed that she clearly didn't like the idea of Ataru actually settling down with Lum on a planet THREE HUNDRED LIGHT-YEARS away from Earth . . . and thus free of any influence by Ataru's family or his "oldest friend." Noting that – and vowing to herself that she would talk to Mizuhara Yomi as soon as she could to make sure that Shinobu would be watched over to ensure she didn't do something stupid in the future; with the way Shinobu had been going on and on about what had happened over the last couple days, she had to be watched – Ryūnosuke then turned back to finish her lunch.

"Where's Yon-san?"

Ryūnosuke blinked before she looked at the front door leading into the classroom. Standing there were two members of the girls basketball team, currently in bloomers and T-shirts. "Who the hell are you talking about?" the tomboy then asked.

"Yon-san!" one of the girls stated as she looked around the room. "She's part of this class! She's our forward! We've got practice today; she knows that! Where the hell is she?"

People blinked. "Oi, Ryūnosuke, that's the girl Miss Infinity came to pick up and take to Yiziba so she could get a Gift!" Perm stated. "You know her!"

"Nope," Ryūnosuke stated as she moved to put away her empty bentō box before relaxing in her chair. "I know a girl named Inu Chigaiko. I don't know no 'Yon-san.'" She then gazed on the two basketball players. "So who the fuck are you talkin' about?"

Both girls then winced. "Well, we don't know her name . . . but she always wears number '4' on her jersey, so we call her 'Yon-san!'" one protested.

The tomboy blinked. "And it never occurred to any of you to LEARN her name?"

"Well, we tried! We just couldn't remember it!" the other girl stated.

"And that didn't strike you a little bit strange?" Ryūnosuke asked before shaking her head. "Damn! That girl's put up to this sort of shit all this time? If I was her, I'd quit the damn team! Maybe that's what she's decided to do finally!"

Both players awked. "She can't quit! We need her!" one wailed.

"Nah! What you need is a fuckin' REALITY CHECK!" Ryūnosuke countered back. "Don't you find it the least bit strange that you DON'T know the name of a girl you've played with for however-long she's been on the team? Don't you really want to know WHY that's been happening?" A shake of the head. "Well, if you don't really care about that, it's your fuckin' problem! Think about it . . . and maybe when you finally get a clue, go do somethin' about it! Chigaiko's off on Yiziba getting together with Ataru! Go play your damned game; she's got more important things to do with herself than make idiots like you happy!"

The players gaped at her while all the people in class blinked . . .

* * *

_Somewhere . . ._

_Lum had lost all track of time in this timeless place._

_But she didn't care._

_She was finally learning about – and EXPERIENCING – the life of Redet Danu._

_To the members of the Imperial House of Redet alive on Uru and her colonies these days, poor Danu was a kinsman who had been killed by They Who Must Never Be Named right after the attempted "invasion" of That Place by the old Empire in hopes of civilising the wild natives and giving the Urusians an outpost right up against the borders of Vosian space so they could keep watch on events in the Confederation._

_Her fate in the wake of the Invasion of You Know Where had never been questioned by historians on Uru, even after the trauma of the Mother of All Fight Scenes._

_In the wake of that, it should have been very obvious._

_But then again – despite her often wishing it otherwise – Lum knew that her people frequently allowed reason to fly out the airlock whenever something that offended Urusian cultural sensibilities and traditions came up to threaten them in any way, shape or form._

_And the Invasion of Yiziba certainly had been THAT!_

_The traditional Tag Race was meant to be played by Oni, all of whom could fly._

_Other peoples, when forced into a Tag Race, often were at a disadvantage._

_But not that day in the downtown core of Habitation One._

_And not with Lireta Pietbezgu, the fifteenth Rampage of Yiziba._

_A tag made in SEVEN SECONDS!_

_It had been a shock to the Oni leaders over Yiziba at the time._

_And while the accusations of cheating were understandable . . ._

_. . . given that NONE of the Empire's first-contact specialists – people who would have normally spent MONTHS doing an analysis of a potential target world to size up its many strengths and weaknesses – had done ANY sort of detailed scan of Yiziba before Seq Joth had led his invasion fleet there had been nothing short of STUPID!_

_And given that the Empire had been a feudal monarchy at the time . . ._

_. . . confronting a race who had long-preserved genetic memories of DICTATORSHIPS that would make even what Adolf Hitler or Josef Stalin had once led on Earth decades ago look like the most pleasant of pastures in comparison – and vowing to CONQUER such a people – showed how utterly ARROGANT the Empire's leadership at the time had been!_

_Fortunately, the Oni who had gone to Yiziba for the "invasion" had been allowed to live . . . even if their ship had been nearly wrecked by Lireta and his friends and Joth himself put into a body-cast thanks to Danu's future husband._

_And that might have just been the end of it . . ._

_Until homesickness made Danu – then recently Gifted to become the eighteenth Tempest – ask the Academician at the time to help her go visit her family back on Uru._

_A family that had been a typical Urusian Imperial aristocratic couple._

_A family who – while somewhat relieved that their only daughter was alive and well; news about Danu's "fate" on Yiziba hadn't been good until then – had been horrified to learn that their only child had BECOME a Yizibajohei._

_And had MARRIED a Yizibajohei!_

_And thus, could NOT be made to marry into another Imperial family on Uru._

_Women, back then, were just _commodities_ to be traded between families at the whim of the House Patriarch or any of his chosen subordinates._

_So their response had been automatic._

_Simply inhumane by modern Urusian standards . . . but understandable given the time period and the values held by the Imperial Houses at that time._

_Contacting Seq Joth – who had finally recovered from his "failed invasion" of those "ungrateful lessers" from Yiziba – they arranged for Danu to be taken into custody and examined by the Empire's top scientists to learn all the secrets about the Yizibajohei._

_Naturally, it was hoped that a weakness could be discovered and exploited._

_Danu's life – and her wishes – were totally irrelevant to the matter at hand._

_She was just a tool of the Empire._

_And in her eventual death, she would be made to serve the Empire one last time . . ._

* * *

Tomobiki, the Toranoseishin Finances tower, that moment . . .

"Inu Chigaiko?"

"Hai," Ataru called back from the Cave of the Future. "You know her?"

"I remember her from my universe," Tariko stated. "She was a girl that everyone never bothered to remember the name of. Don't recall her fate in my universe, but the chances are pretty good she was dead by the time I got back to Earth. Same here?"

"Yeah. Some sort of weird curse that nailed her sometime before I got my memories back and could sense what was going on." A sigh. "She and Lum are both in the Crystal right now; they went in about an hour ago."

Tariko nodded in understanding. Her own Gifting had lasted about five minutes. Then again, given her experiences – and her desire to remain safe and in control over her life and future – it had been a simple choice to become Wildflower. There had been some others, but the power and passion of the Belle of the Wilderness just seemed right for her, so she had taken the Gift right away. Clearly, Lum and Chigaiko wanted to make the right sort of choice for themselves; since there was no way for anyone to exchange a Gift once a Gift was bestowed, whatever was their final choice was the one they would have to deal with for the rest of their lives. "Do you like her?"

"Yeah. She has a crush on me; I'm the only one who remembered her name all that time. It started when the Red Cloak came by school at a party held last Hallowe'en, but since no one seemed to care to help her – and I had to be very careful about what I was doing – all I could do was put her into my Book as a girl needing help. Liz scanned her when she got a chance; Chigaiko-chan was starting to develop a bad form of leukaemia. If it went too bad, I would have had her brought here right away regardless of the Niphentaxians . . . "

"And all the other idiots around us," she finished.

"Yeah."

She nodded. From what she had learned over the last couple of days, Ataru had – in the wake of his recovering his memories six months before – been forced to play a deadly balancing game between his own desire to see Lum free and safe . . . and making sure that an intergalactic war that would have made the Mother of All Fight Scenes look like a garden tea party in comparison never broke out. He had done all he could to make things right for as many people as he could. The Avalonians, for example; once he had met up with Ganzo dai-Louc and learned the truth of what was going on amongst his people, simple humanity demanded no less from him or his friends. And there were the innocent peoples of the various Federation worlds, including Uru and Triton; if Ataru made the wrong step, those worlds would have faced mad hordes from both the Ipraedies Empire and the Seifukusu Dominion in the blink of an eye. To prevent that, the "Army of Lum" had to be kept intact . . . even though it had lost ALL its skilled artisans and technicians due to the stupid policies the Niphentaxians had enacted concerning their "robot slaves" and would have been exposed to be a hollow sham if the Ipraedies or the Seifukusu had attacked in any decent strength during the last six months.

But now . . .

The news of "They Who Must Never Be Named" living on Earth would get out. Both the Yaminokuni and the Urusians – and yes, the Niphentaxians as well – would see to that, especially now with Lum inside the Great Crystal of Power and most likely meeting up with the living spirit of her own ancestor. Once that did get out, the Avalonians would then go public with the support the Yizibajohei had given and were giving now to their quest to be free and seek out their own destinies on the worlds they were now occupying. With that, the leaders of the Galactic Federation would – hopefully – finally get a clue and expel the Niphentaxians from their alliance, thus leaving them open and vulnerable for the Ipraedies (whose border colonies and a major starbase both lay to the galactic northeast of the Phentax tri-star system) to attack with ease. That would hopefully get Ōgi's people to realise that their actions towards the Avalonians had been in gross error, thus make them very willing to agree to anything to get help from New Avalon and Yiziba.

The One True Church of Lum would be gone in the blink of an eye.

Which would make Lum a very happy woman, Tariko knew.

And with the presence of the Yizibajohei on Earth, the leadership on both Dominos and Ipraedos – atop dealing with the fact that thirty-five solar systems THEY had once claimed were now under the management of the Republic of New Avalon – would probably stop and think. Given that the worlds in question had either not been settled or had been sparsely settled – and that such worlds once had to be protected thanks to ruinous costs in military expenditures by both powers – giving both the Imperial Houses of the Seifukusu Dominion and the Ipraedies Empire an excuse to SAVE all that money seemed logical. Yes, there would be the proud morons who couldn't stand the idea of ALIENS taken over THEIR planets . . . but given that members of the most frightening race in this galaxy were helping the Avalonians stake their claims on worlds like Barsoom, any attempts at launching a retaliatory strike would be stifled by calmer heads amongst the Magate Round on Dominos and Emperor Schwartz's advisors on Ipraedos.

That would make people across the local cluster just as happy, Tariko knew.

Including people on Earth itself . . . once they really learned what was going on in the vast heavens around their world.

That was being arranged right now.

Before Tariko could say anything more, a knock was heard at the door. "Just a sec'," she said to her adopted brother before looking over. "Yes?"

The door opened, revealing Yumoa Reigi. "Am I disturbing you, Hana-sama?"

"Give me a moment," she stated.

He nodded, closing the door behind him. "I'll call you back," Ataru then said.

"Right."

The link with Yiziba was then cut. "C'mon in!" Tariko then said.

Reigi then walked inside. "I'm sorry to disturb you, Hana-sama," he said, bowing to her. "But Mendō Haruka-sama and Mizunokōji Saeko-sama are here to see you."

Tariko blinked. "And the reason they're here?" she asked.

A sigh. "They wouldn't tell me."

A moan. "Alright. Send the idiots in."

A bow. "Hai."

He stepped outside, closing the door behind him. The door then opened to allow two women to come inside. Much to Tariko's private disgust, one of them was being carried on an open-seat palanquin by four Kuromegane bodyguards. Also accompanying the current matriarch of the Mendō Clan of Musashino was her full-time valet and human parrot; Tariko had never learned the moron's name. The other woman walked in herself and had not been accompanied by any of the Kurotenshi bodyguards used by her own family . . . but given how physically powerful Tobimaro's and Asuka's mother Saeko was, she really didn't need such escorts if push came down to shove. _Pity she doesn't realise how strong I can be_, Tariko mused to herself as she gazed dispassionately at them. "What do you want?"

Hearing that cold question from their current host, Haruka's valet tensed. "Now see here, young lady!" he snapped; Tariko had been quick to note that Mendō's mother had not whispered something to him before he started off. "That is not the way to . . .!"

_WHAP!_

"Mistress!" he wailed as he stared at a now VERY annoyed Mendō Haruka.

Blushing lightly as Tariko sent her a questioning look, she then leaned down to whisper something into the chastised valet's ear. He then nodded before turning to bow low to the matriarch of the Moroboshi of Mutsu-no-kuni. "I do apologise, Young Mistress, for my impolite outburst," he then said with all contriteness.

"It's about time you idiots learn that the whole world does NOT revolve around you," Tariko then stated. "So I ask again: What the hell do you want?"

Both older women stiffened – though it was utterly hard to tell when it came to Saeko's feelings given the frozen palsy-like smile she projected to everyone she met – and then Tobimaro's mother said, "You made a threat against my daughter."

Tariko's eyebrow arched. "When did I supposedly make this threat?"

"Yesterday when you withdrew your brother and his would-be wife from Tomobiki High School," Saeko stated, her voice not raising a single octave in pitch even if there was a slight battle aura forming around her. "You actually suggested to Haruka-san's son that he seek out that vile Master Happōsai in Nerima for the secrets of some 'ultimate weakness moxibustion' to have employed on my poor child before she married Haruka-san's son! How DARE you make such a threat against my poor daughter, especially after what your brother did to her when they first met months ago? Now you will . . .!"

_**KK-KKRACK!**_

"I will _what_?" the Belle of the Wilderness stated after picking up another diamond that her adopted uncle had found in his explorations and crushed it in her hand.

Both Haruka and Saeko froze in place, stunned by that horrible show of strength . . .

* * *

_Somewhere . . ._

_She was cold._

_She was in a dark place._

_She couldn't hear any noise._

_Where was she?_

_Where was Lireta?_

_Where were her parents?_

_WHERE WAS SHE?_

_Where . . .?_

_Gasping as the storm of memories from over two centuries before overwhelmed her, Lum tried not to scream out in agony as she felt the naked fear that Danu had experienced when she found herself trapped in some sort of storage tube in a laboratory outside Onishuto. As the still-living Oni warlord's daughter whimpered on seeing how much her ancestor had been made to suffer at the hands of the Imperial Houses of Uru, her body rocked with the real pains of Danu's own body pierced by dozens of probes sending all sorts of chemicals into her body to try to literally freeze her from the inside out, suppress her natural fight-or-flight reflexes to keep the incredible lightning powers of Tempest at bay and to cut off the psionic bond someone had noted she had with the stupid alien lesser that had MARRIED above his station in life._

_And no matter what Danu tried to do . . ._

_She couldn't escape!_

_She was trapped!_

_Why?_

_WHY?_

**WHY?**

_"Darling . . . help me . . .!" Lum gasped out._

**Calm down, Lum . . .**

_Lum blinked as the sensations then faded . . ._

_. . . before the cold vanished._

_The darkness became blinding light . . ._

_. . . that faded into a warm face framed by blond hair and pierced with dark blue eyes._

_"Lireta . . . "_

_The leads were taken out of her body as someone else touched her, allowing energy to surge through her – No! Through Danu's! – body and disperse the chemicals that had come within a hair's breadth of killing her. She was then held by her husband as she wept with relief and joy, glad that she had taken Soul Searcher's offer after their private wedding in the mountains north of the Cave of the Future to form a psychic bond with Lireta so he could be alerted right away in case she got into trouble._

_And he had come for her._

_And he had brought friends._

_Friends who were now gazing upon the physical artefacts of a then-modern version of any self-respecting Yizibajohei's worst nightmare._

_To be _trapped_._

_To be _enslaved_._

_To be forced to _bow_ to the will of others._

Never_ to be given the choice to live free._

Never_ given the simple right to say "no."_

Never_ to be master of their own destiny._

_For those of Lireta's friends who had come to Uru that day . . ._

_. . . it was the dark days leading to the Dawn of Power all over again._

_And their response to what had happened to Lireta's life-mate . . ._

_. . . was the same as what their first-selves had done seventeen centuries before._

_When the Dawn of Power forever spelt the end of normalcy and sameness on their world._

_Thanks to selfish people who couldn't see past their own noses . . ._

_. . . the Urusian people's worst nightmare was upon them at last._

**The Mother of All Fight Scenes.**

* * *

Washington, the White House, that moment (local time: late evening) . . .

"My God . . .!"

A sigh. "It was a very close thing, Mister President."

The President of the United States of America could only shake his head as he gazed upon the written report the Director-in-Chief of the United Nations Special Committee on Alien Activities, Professor Zacharias Rhetor – "Chief Zed" as he was known to his fellow Men In Black – had prepared for him. "The people responsible for this?"

"The ones who were directly involved in Mister Moroboshi being made to forget what he was and where he had been are dead," Zed replied. "All at the hands of Miss Black. Only one agent from my group suffered such a fate; Agent Kay was against it from the start and got his memories of what had happened changed as a result."

"Is he alright?" the British Prime Minister – who had come to America on the pretext of a normal trade visit to enhance the "special relationship" between Washington and London – then asked as he gazed on his own copy of the report. Also present in the Oval Office at this time were the Presidents of France, Russia and the People's Republic of China; all of them had been allowed to travel to the beautiful city on the north shore of the Potomac thanks to their own nations' magical ministries.

"He's fine, Mister Prime Minister. Once he woke up to what had happened to him, he wanted to resign for his not being able to stop Agent Dee." A sigh. "Agent Jay talked him out of it. I was glad for that; Kay's a good man. I'd hate to lose him."

"Well, that's fortunate," the French leader stated. "What of the ICW agents who supported their friends that Mademoiselle Black hunted down?"

A smirk. "Miss Black got the elder Miss Wakefield's help to send their severed heads to their friend's offices via the _Discovery_," Zed replied. "It got the message out."

Morbid laughter from the other people in the room; the magical section of the United States Secret Service had sealed the Oval Office to ensure the news media didn't catch onto this meeting between the leaders of the world's five most powerful nations. "And Mister Moroboshi's reaction?" the American leader then asked.

"He decided that turnabout is fair play and elected – once he had dealt Miss Lum's so-called 'most faithful' a mortal body blow by taking their bioroid slaves away – to return to Tomobiki to live with his now legally ex-parents; His Imperial Majesty arranged for the man to be made an emancipated minor as a result of this." Zed then sighed. "I'm glad for that. Ataru's mission up to when he went to Tomobiki to seek out Miyake Shinobu is essentially the same as the Special Committee's: Protect all of Earth from alien threats. He just chose to do it the Yizibajohei way."

"Which frowns on any sort of government oversight or structure to muster up metahuman warriors to fight for the people of Earth against any sort of alien threat," the Chinese leader noted; a special translation field was up in the Oval Office to allow the five men to speak in their own language and be understood by all.

"Yes, Mister President."

"Could we find some way to convince these young ladies to come work for us?" the French leader then asked. "Having groups of such beings at our beck and call . . . "

"As long as you don't do anything to remind these people of their own past," Zed warned. "That's always been the big trick when it comes to the Yizibajohei. Almost all of the people who had gained Gifts thanks to Mister Moroboshi – from Miss Kasuga on down – have the memories of a horrendously dark time two millennia ago etched into their very souls. A time that makes World War Two look like a picnic in comparison. Think of all the ugly stories you've all heard about the Holocaust in Europe thanks to the Nazis, the Great Purges unleashed by Stalin, the Killing Fields of Cambodia under Pol Pot – then wrap it all together and expand it to cover the whole planet – and you'll then get a good idea of what the Dawn of Power was ultimately all about."

"Have there been alien species who've got along with them?" the Russian leader asked.

"Many of them, Mister President," Zed stated. "As a matter of fact, many of the aliens now living on Earth that my organisation normally watches over – once they got the initial news about Mister Moroboshi being Tuyuki – were quite relieved that Yiziba has 'extended its protection' over Earth. This means that incidents like what happened when that Bug came to Earth looking for the Galaxy to prosecute their war with the Arquillians will – if not eliminated – be kept to a very dull roar."

"Did the Urusians react when the Arquillians came here?" the British leader asked.

"Their reaction – in a sense – was the Tag Race last year, Mister Prime Minister." The incident with the Bug had rocked New York City two years before. "Even if the Arquillians are from a different sector of the galaxy, that they didn't bother to acknowledge any of the local powers when they came here ruffled a lot of feathers in Onishuto and elsewhere. That, tagged onto what the Ipraedies were planning . . . "

The others in the room nodded. Thanks to the Men In Black, they all knew the Urusian "invasion" of Earth was actually meant as a way to keep Earth free of the influence of any potential "hostile" alien power. The Ipraedies Empire and the Imperial Houses of the Seifukusu Dominion were the two top powers on that list. Lower down were Earth's own closest galactic neighbours, so to speak: The Imperial Dominion of Noukiios, who controlled a world in the Alpha Centauri system about four light-years from Earth. And there were others as well. Given Lum's presence in Tomobiki over the last year – she being joined full-time by her cousin Ten and childhood friend Ran, not to mention visited by her ex-fiancé Rei and her current best friends Benten and Oyuki from time to time – the actual incidents of unsanctioned (to the MIBs) alien intrusions on Earth had died down; the recent incident concerning the Light of Zartha two months before being the only thing that had caught any attention from Onishuto.

Now with the Yizibajohei presence going public very soon . . .!

"So will there be an invasion?" the Chinese leader stated.

"From the Urusian Imperials?" Zed asked. "Doubtful. Miss Wakefield's defensive units at the Ceres orbit line have done much to deter any unsanctioned visits into this solar system by anyone from Uru. However, if the leaders of the Imperial Round do get wind of what Miss Wakefield has been doing concerning their attempts at getting Terran orphans to become slave servants on Uru, they will be put off."

"They should be eliminated, you mean," the American President stated.

A sigh. "Yes, sir."

With that, the "leader of the free world" tapped a switch on his telephone keypad.

"Get Miss Black."

_**To be continued . . .**_

* * *

**WRITER'S NOTES:**

1) The scene Ataru refers to concerning what Shinobu confessed to Inaba about her own desires appeared in the _Yatsura_ manga story "Tomorrow Once More" (manga episode #333). This scene – repeated in the anime OVA _Inaba the Dream__-__maker_ – has long convinced me that Shinobu really doesn't care for Ataru as a friend should care for a friend.

2) **Marubeya Momoe** and **Gekasawa Kumiko** were introduced in the manga story "Even Though I Wait for You" (manga episode #27). Their family names are my creation.

3) The abandoned Sagussan fleet in orbit over **Den'sha Two** near Spotak was first revealed in the _TSY_ story "Great Father Ataru Stage Six: Auction."

4) The **Magate Round** (the council of princes who rule the Seifukusu Dominion) were first introduced in the _TSY/Sailor Moon_ crossover story _Lonely They Who Guard_. **Emperor Schwartz** was first introduced in the _TSY_ story "Enter Space-Hybrid Hazel."

5) Mendō's mother was introduced in the manga story "The Parents' Day from Hell" (manga episode #51). Tobimaro's mother was first introduced in the storyline "That Mizunokōji Girl" (manga episodes #221-224). The given names they have here are my creation, as are the name for the family bodyguards, the **Kurotenshi** ("Black Angels").

6) **Zacharias Rhetor** is the name I gave to **Chief Zed** (as played by Rip Thorn in the _Men In Black_ movies). The incident concerning the Bug and the Arquillians was depicted in the first _MIB_ movie (released in 1997). The incident concerning the Light of Zartha was depicted in the second _MIB_ movie (released in 2002).

* * *

**The Book of Pretty Girls_, Entry 469:_**

**_DOCTOR DEATH  
_The Herald of the Final Darkness**

**Generation:** 33rd  
**Age at Gifting:** 10 years, 3 months

**Real Name:** Margo Elaine BLACK (_née_ CHAPELLE)  
**Relatives:** Daniel Wilson "Dan" CHAPELLE (_father, deceased_), Emmeline Karen CHAPELLE (_née_ CARTER) (_mother, deceased_), Nora Christina CHAPELLE (_younger twin sister; **Accretor**, see Entry 513_), Blanche Joanna CHAPELLE (_née_ JACKSON) (_stepmother, deceased_), multiple adopted parents and siblings (_relationships not acknowledged, several deceased_)  
**Affiliation:** Self, her sister, **Coyote** (_see Entry 0_)  
**Base of Operations:** City of Savannah, County of Chatham, State of Georgia, United States of America  
**Alignment:** Neutral/Heel/Anti-face  
**Identity:** On Yiziba, publicly known; on Earth, Margo is known to the child care authorities of New York and Georgia while her being Yizibajohei as Doctor Death is known to very few in the American government  
**Race/Culture of Birth:** Terran/American  
**Place of Birth:** City of Savannah, County of Chatham, State of Georgia, United States of America  
**Gender:** Female  
**Height:** 168 cm (5' 6")  
**Weight: **47.5 kg (105 lb)  
**Eyes:** Grey  
**Hair:** Black

**Gifts:  
_Necrosis Energy Control (the "Touch of Death"):_** Doctor Death has the ability to create a lethal Grade Three ("ebony meson") mesonium-based toxin in her body that unleashes a deadly necrosis in the cell tissue of any living thing she touches. Regardless of the personal strength and invulnerability of whomever she touches, her power can literally cause a living being her physical size to die and disintegrate into dust and ashes within ten seconds. Magical defences (such as the energy that maintains the life-forces of such beings as vampires and lycanthropes) do not protect anyone she comes into contact with and when she unleashes her power. The only sure-fire defence against the Doctor's touch is to NEVER BE TOUCHED when she seeks to kill someone. Of course, thanks to the Doll programming that she inherited when **Infinity** (_see Entry 1_) allowed her to "swap bodies" after her Gifting, Margo has full control over her powers. She could, with ease, STOP someone from dying using her powers . . . though she is normally quite loath to do something like that as such would offend her sensibilities.  
**_Reality Warping:_** Doctor Death has the power to alter reality to a limited extent, usually when it is within very close range to her body. Usually, this power gives her the ability to negate the natural laws of physics in a way that would allow her to seize control of any deceased or "un-dead" being such as a vampire or inferi, though she has the ability to extend her powers further if required. Her normal range of influence is about ten kilometres from her person; such can be augmented if there is a high concentration of magical or psionic energy the Doctor can tap into.  
**_Psionic/Magical Mental Shield:_** As an extension of her powers, Doctor Death can also resist any form of telepathic, empathic or magical tampering with her mind. She cannot be possessed by any disembodied spirit or other form of metaphysical entity such as what are termed "gods" or "devils" by others. Atop that, the Doctor can resist all known Terran forms of death magic or psionic attacks meant to induce death such as the _Avada Kedavra_ (Killing Curse) spell. Only those mega-metas such as Infinity have the power to break down the Doctor's mental defences if necessary.  
_**Meta-True Senses:**_ An extension of her reality-warping ability gives Doctor Death a form of "meta-senses" which allows her to perceive anything in any dimension that attracts her attention. She could literally gaze through any form of magical, technological or psionic disguise, perceive ghosts and other non-corporeal spirits, note the shift of the space-time continuum and look at things millions of kilometres away. While not as expressive with this power as Infinity is with her own abilities, the Doctor could act as a living tracker to find anyone that interests her. She could chat with different beings at different levels of omnipotence across the dimensional veils, though she normally doesn't bother such beings unless they "speak" to her first. Given her normal view of life, the Doctor prefers to speak with beings associated with Entropy more than the spirits of Creation that Infinity herself converses with. With her powers, it is virtually IMPOSSIBLE to deceive the Doctor whenever she casts her powers on a particular object of interest; using this ability, she could give the name, origin and history of any particular sentient being with just a few seconds' glance.  
**_Broadcast Telepathy:_** A limited range telepathy that allows the Doctor to communicate with people within ten kilometres range to strangers or fifty kilometres to friends.  
**_Empathy:_** A limited form of empathic sensory which allows the Doctor to gauge the mood of people close to him, usually within a kilometre range of his person.  
**_Doll Programming:_** Shortly after her Gifting, Margo was transformed into a Doll, one of the synthezoids created by the first Infinity to act as replacement bodies for those non-Gifted Yizibajohei children who might have died before gaining the chance to go to the Cave of the Future. With that, she has increased mental skills, a computer-like organised mind and a nearly-eidetic memory. Such helps her when she goes out on a mission to kill someone; this also helps her assimilate the memories of her target so she could use that knowledge to seek out further targets if required.

**Personality:**

Like Infinity, Doctor Death has a whole slew of nicknames:

**__****_The Death-Bringer._**

**_The Herald of the Final Darkness._**

**_The Archangel of Mortality._**

**_The Man/Lady with the Lethal Touch._**

The most despised and feared heel throughout Yizibajohei history, Doctor Death is often viewed as the exact opposite of Infinity by many of their countrymen and other beings who know of these two. When the Goddess Who Walks Amongst Men makes something, the Herald of the Final Darkness destroys it. When Infinity saves lives, Doctor Death ends them. When the Infinite One shines with the power of Creation, the Angel of Death is forever darkened with the blackness of Entropy billowing from within her very soul.

And none could fit such a powerful being better than Margo Black.

The elder of twin daughters of a moderately-wealthy shipping magnate from the Atlantic coast of Georgia who lost their mother in childbirth, Margo was a feisty child, always fighting with other children at the barest provocation. Only when she was close to her beloved twin sister Nora did Margo calm down and act with any sort of civility. Their stepmother Blanche soon reached her tolerance limit concerning the wild Margo and – after convincing Dan that such was the best – had the girl dispatched to New York to have her adopted by someone there. The lawyer that assisted Blanche in sending Margo up north into "Yankee" territory managed to get her family name changed from "Chapelle" to "Black" to ensure that Margo could never come back to Savannah in case she wanted to locate her true family.

Once subject to the variables of the New York state adoption system, the former daughter of the South found herself in loveless home after loveless home, being abused by parents who really couldn't make themselves care for her. Over time, a growing caldron of anger and hatred towards the cold world she had been forced to become a part of began to billow within Margo's soul, transforming a nominally feisty girl into a sociopathic monster that – by the time she reached her tenth birthday – had made her kill six people (all adopted parents or siblings) with frightful ease . . . and literally getting away with it as well!

And then a strange boy came into her life.

While at first mistrustful of Moroboshi Ataru, Margo certainly couldn't reject his overtures of friendship . . . especially when it came with good food, a nice place to stay in the country – even if it was on another PLANET! – and the hope that somehow, someway, Margo could reunite with her twin sister and be with her real family again. Of course, a certain offer was made . . . which Margo accepted.

And she became the Herald of the Final Darkness.

Of course, while the current Doctor Death is quite willing and able to end the life of anyone that crosses her path, the fact that she had received her Gift thanks to a kind boy named Moroboshi Ataru has served to soften the harsh edges of this walking, talking human killing machine. That guaranteed that when Margo finally got back together with Nora a year after the former's Gifting – when the latter became Accretor and Margo finally got her revenge on Blanche Chapelle for seeing to it that her stepdaughters had been separated in the first place; Margo used her powers to make Blanche "confess" her crimes before "commiting suicide" – the authorities in Washington finally took notice of this young, lethal killer . . . but decided to not punish her for her past actions given what Dan himself would learn thanks to Moroboshi Ataru and Margo before he himself passed away from guilt over allowing his babies to suffer like he did over the years. To test Margo's loyalty, the President of the United States asked her to kill an al-Qā'idah operative in Iraq who had been responsible for the deaths of several Army servicemen. Margo – who knew that her father had once served their country in the first Gulf War – was willing to go along with it . . . and to the awe of all who were in on it, brought back the severed head of the target and placed it on the President's own desk in the White House.

"_Anyone else you need to get rid of, Mister President?_"

And since that time, the Herald of the Final Darkness – along with her twin sister – has served as the unofficial professional assassin squad for the White House. Making sure that the deaths of all of Margo's past victims wouldn't cause any problems (to say anything of Blanche Chapelle's relatives, who were all horrified to learn that "crazy Margo" had come back to live with Nora in Savannah . . . and was clearly supported by very powerful people), the President – after becoming the unofficial legal guardian to the pair in the wake of Dan Chapelle's death – arranged to have Margo move back to Georgia to be with her twin sister at the Chapelle home in Savannah. To this day, Margo and Nora live together, undergo private tutoring paid for by Washington and are always ready to go out to "catch and compromise to a permanent end" their homeland's – and recently, their home PLANET'S – many enemies.

Margo, naturally, was happy to ensure those who had attacked and brainwashed Ataru just before Redet Lum (_see Entry 2_) came back into his life were dealt with as well.

Like many other girls in the Book, Margo does love Ataru. In many ways, her feelings for him are equal to those of her "rival" Kasuga Ayumu. And with her greater sense of self-control over her powers in comparison to past Doctors, Margo knows that any pillow scene with the current Coyote won't end badly. Of course, like Infinity, the Doctor is viewed with wariness by potential rivals because of her feelings for Coyote.

Ironically, Margo Black and Nora Chapelle both bear a striking resemblance to another pair of identical twins, Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield (the **Academician** and **Rampage**, _see Entries 531 and 532_) of Sweet Valley in California. Such – once Margo's existence became better known by the members of the Boosters of Sweet Valley – made the Herald of the Final Darkness an object of curiosity in the eyes of the Wakefield twins and their friends . . . though, like other sensible people, Elizabeth and Jessica gladly prefer that Margo stays in Georgia in lieu of travelling down I-10 to California!

Where such would lead the Doctor, of course . . .!


End file.
